Naruto: Plaguelord of The Leaf
by Raja-Ulat
Summary: What happens when Naruto meets a sickly person with dangerously infectious abilities? What happens when be becomes infected himself and becomes a similar being? Becoming a physical monster, what will happen to him and the rest of the Ninja World?
1. Chapter 0

**Naruto: Plaguelord of The Leaf**

Disclaimer: This will be a Naruto fanfiction with a bit of a twist involving "Technically Living Zombie" trope and may get AU. With that said, I hope you enjoy this story.

**Chapter 0: Naruto and Experiment 619**

Uzumaki Naruto, a boy with spiky sun-blond hair, cerulean-blue eyes and three pairs of whisker-marks on his cheeks, was eagerly walking ahead of his team and their client as it was his first C-ranked mission. A genin, which is basically a rookie ninja, Naruto was teamed with Uchiha Sasuke, a fellow genin with dark eyes and hair, and Haruno Sakura, a girl with pink hair and green eyes who is also a genin. Leading the team was Hatake Kakashi, a man with grey hair and one visible eye as his left eye was hidden beneath his forehead protector, who is a jounin, also known as high-ranking ninja. Together, the four-man team made up Team Seven. Their client, an elderly bespectacled bridge builder with a grey beard named Tazuna, was walking in between Sasuke and Sakura while Kakashi walked behind the man.

Formerly the dead last of his graduating class, Naruto had already failed twice and had actually failed a third time but was nevertheless able to graduate due to "unique" circumstances involving a traitor of his home village, Konohagakure, a stolen scroll containing powerful ninjutsu, and the revelation of a terrible truth. Hated and ignored by almost everyone in his own home village for as long as he could remember, the boy only recently realized the reason behind their hatred after his third failure to graduate from the ninja academy as he is the container of a terrible demon fox which attacked Konohagakure on the same day he was born, the Kyuubi no Youko. Due to the hatred and lack of acknowledgement, the boy became a loud-mouthed prankster with a love for bright-orange clothes and would often boast that he would one day become the village's leader, a Hokage, in order to hide his pain and loneliness and to gain the attention he needs to prove his own existence from others. It is also from that very same suffering, which he hides behind a mask of a care-free troublemaker, that the boy has a deep sense of empathy and sympathy for the suffering of others, at least once he realizes it anyway. Therefore, is it really any surprise that Uzumaki Naruto's first reaction upon seeing a person lying on the road, a person who is dressed in filthy rags and bandages, shivering as though caught in a blizzard despite the fact that the day is warm and sunny, and is moaning miserably in pain, is concern for the said individual?

Before Kakashi could stop the boy, Naruto rushed to the prone figure and loudly asked, "Hey, are you alright?" Reaching out, Naruto almost leapt back when he saw the swollen tumorous growths pulsating beneath the bandages and rags and the sickly-green skin. Looking closer, the boy noted that the individual had long shoulder-length black hair which is matted with dirt and filth, black veins beneath the skin as well as blackened nails. While not very smart, partly due to his lack of attention during school lessons and partly due to sabotage by the teachers that hated him, Naruto knew that the person is horribly sick. Having made his decision, Naruto turned his attention to his teammates, teacher and client to say, "Hey, this person is really sick. We need to get him to a hospital ASAP!"

Looking at the sickly individual, Kakashi warily mused, "I haven't seen anyone this sickly ever since the Third Ninja World War. As much as I hate to say this, I don't think there is anything we can do so save him." As a jounin, Kakashi is well-aware that the person is not a ninja in disguise to catch the team off-guard. Even so, if never hurts to be cautious in their line of work.

Sasuke on the other hand was far less sympathetic as he spoke, "Stop wasting our time dobe. We're here to escort the client home, not pick up the homeless and sick."

Infuriated, Naruto was about to shout angrily at Sasuke when a pained voice barely whispered, "Run…"

Turning around, Naruto saw the person's face. Covered in the same pulsating tumorous growths and black veins, with pus-coloured tears and saliva, the person's face looked outright hideous. However, what really caught the blond boy's attention was the visible eye with yellowed sclera and emerald-green iris as it was a look of pain, misery, loneliness, and, at the moment, a desperate desire not to harm anyone. "Run… away… please…!"

Determined to help the person or be damned trying, Naruto stubbornly seized him by the hand and said, "Like hell I'm leaving you behind like this! My dream is to be a Hokage on day and there's no way I'm letting you suffer alone like this!"

Looking at Naruto's bright blue eyes, the sickly person realized that the boy was honest and determined to save him. Blushing, not that Naruto could tell due to the deformities, the person hesitated for a moment before his body suddenly convulsed violently and cried out in pain as he vomited a black tar-like substance which gave off a purple miasma. Shocked by the sight, Kakashi realized, "Don't tell me…" Kakashi then desperately shouted, "Naruto, get away from him!"

While horrified and frightened by the obviously poisonous substance, Naruto's face grew firm in determination as he held onto the retching person and slapped his onto back in an attempt to help him to cough out the foul substance. Shocked, Kakashi cried out, "Naruto, you can't help him, get away from him before it is too late!"

"Like hell I'm going to just leave him to suffer! I will save him or die trying, for that is my way of the ninja!"

Before Kakashi or anyone in the group could argue with Naruto bloody bony spikes suddenly protruded from the sickly person's tumorous growths, effectively impaling Naruto by accident. Swearing under his breath, Kakashi was forced to realize that they cannot help Naruto under the current circumstances and were forced to retreat as the hollow bony spikes started to produce noxious purple miasma. Retreating back to where they came from, Kakashi gazed sorrowfully at where Naruto and the sickly person was and prayed, "Please, be alright…"

Scene Change

"Ok, one moment I was helping that sick person, who was vomiting some really bad stuff and suddenly grew bones and impaled me in a few places, including what must be my spleen, whatever that is, and now I'm here in a sewer with a huge gate in front of me." Looking around at the gloomy sewer, Naruto was understandably confused when he a pair of blood-red eyes with slits for irises and a row of very sharp teeth. Gazing at the face of what has to be a gigantic malevolent creature behind the bars of the gate, Naruto gaped in shock and fear as the creature spoke, "So, we finally meet, Uzumaki Naruto."

Looking at the giant creature, Naruto could only guess one name, "You're… the Kyuubi no Youko, aren't you?"

Looking at the orange-clad boy as though he is a mere insect, the creature confirmed, "Indeed, I am the Kyuubi no Youko and you are damned idiot of a jailer that has doomed us both!"

Angry, Naruto shouted, "And what right do YOU have to be pissed at me? Had you not attacked our village years ago, you wouldn't be sealed into my gut and I wouldn't have to put up with all the pain and loneliness I had suffered for years because of you!"

"And what makes you think that I was even attacking your village on purpose? Besides, it's those damned villagers that chose to make you miserable despite the wishes of the Fourth Hokage and you know it!" shouted the Kyuubi. Stunned, Naruto was silent as the demon fox continued to rant, "Regardless of our mutual "dislike" for one another that issue is as of now the least of our concerns! Thanks to your stupidity, we are both now dying!"

"Wait a minute, we're dying because of that nasty stuff that sick person was vomiting?"

"No, we're dying because we're drowning in ramen. Of course we're dying because of that you complete retard!" shouted the Kyuubi.

Normally, Naruto would get angry and shout at the demon fox but could not help but notice that his tone of voice actually sounded desperate as he asked, "But can't you do anything about it? I mean, you're a powerful demon and all."

"Normally, that would be the case. However, thanks to that accursed Fourth Hokage, at least half of my power had been sealed away into the belly of that damned Shinigami thereby making me less powerful than that day when I attacked your village. Moreover, that stuff is not only poisonous to you, it's poisonous even to me which means that even if my power is not sealed at the moment I can still fall sick from exposure to it. Of course, you will die from it first but that does not mean that I won't suffer from it as your death will kill me as well even if only temporarily under normal circumstances."

"Temporarily?" asked Naruto.

"Unlike you mere mortals, I'm an immortal being of malevolent chakra and would usually be reborn after a few years but with at least half of my power gone, combined with your death and that accursed poison, my death might just be permanent and that is something which I would not allow!"

Now understanding the situation, Naruto asked, "So, what do you have in mind to get us out of this particular problem? You obviously can't survive my death or else you wouldn't have even bothered to talk to me and you must have at least one idea how to save our asses."

Almost pleased that Naruto had caught on, the Kyuubi said, "As a matter of fact, I do. However, you will need my help, including letting me gain control for a moment, to save us both."

Immediately suspicious, Naruto asked, "And why should I let you? For all I know you'll just save yourself and let me die."

Snorting, the Kyuubi replied, "While I'll admit that would be the best-case-scenario for me, the simple fact is that I cannot survive without you unless you allow me to possess you fully which I'm sure even a human of your inferior intellect will not allow under normal circumstances. Besides, it's not like I'm asking you to break the seal and the process will be taxing even for me due to the poison that's killing us both."

Seeing no other choice, not that the Kyuubi no Youko seem to have any either, Naruto took a deep breath before he said, "Alright, but first you'll tell me exactly how you're going to save us both."

Nodding, the Kyuubi explained, "There are two options to pick from. The first will save you with no side effects but will kill that sickly human. The second will save all three of us but there will be the side effects and the both of you. Regardless, there is still a significant chance for failure which will kill us all, not that doing nothing will improve the situation."

Normally, a person would ask what the side effects are but Naruto, in his admittedly foolish naïve optimism, replied, "Then I'm taking the second one. I made a promise to save him and I won't go back on my word!"

Frowning, the Kyuubi asked, "You're not even going to bother asking about the side effects?"

Confused, Naruto asked, "No, why?"

Sighing, the Kyuubi swore, "Why am I stuck inside a completely knuckleheaded buffoon?" Before Naruto could protest, the demon fox explained, "Long explanation short, saving the three of us will result in you becoming a physical monster similar to that sickly human, albeit healthier and more in control of your abilities for the both of you." Narrowing his eyes, he added, "And I'm sure even you can comprehend the results of becoming physically monstrous."

For a moment, Naruto faltered and knew exactly what will happen to him if he becomes physically monstrous. The last thing he would ever want is to be rejected even by the few people that care for him due to the physical changes. After a moment of silence, the Kyuubi was almost certain that the boy would choose to save only himself when he said, "Maybe, but if I have to kill that person I swore to help in order to avoid that fate, then I'm no better than the villagers that hate me for having you sealed inside of me." Glaring at the Kyuubi in the eyes, Naruto said, "I'm taking the second option and I won't back down from my promise, believe it!"

Almost impressed, the Kyuubi said, "Brat, if we both die from this, do remind me to kill you in the afterlife."

Grinning confidently, Naruto said, "I'm making no promises, not when we're going to survive this one way or another!"

Scene Change

Having gotten away from the purple miasma, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna stared at the rising cloud of miasma. Glaring at the miasma, Sasuke growled, "That damned dobe, all he ever does is getting in my way!"

Infuriated by Sasuke's callous dismissal, Kakashi was about to threaten the boy when they suddenly felt a powerful burst of energy known as chakra. However, unlike normal chakra, the fusion of spiritual and physical energies essential for executing ninjutsu, this particular type of chakra is demonic to say the least. Turning their attention towards the source of the terrible demonic chakra, everyone realized to their terror and horror that the crimson-red energy originated from within the centre of the miasma. Kakashi, who is among the many adults in Konoha who knew about Naruto's burden as the Kyuubi's jailer, feared for the worst as he thought, "Is the Kyuubi free?"

What happened next was beyond anyone's expectations as the red chakra interacted with the purple miasma, forming a crimson sphere to contain it. As the red ball of demonic energy started to shrink, almost everyone felt a little relieved while Kakashi worriedly thought, "What's going on? It looks almost like the Kyuubi is actually containing, or maybe absorbing, the miasma into itself." However, the jounin could only wait patiently as the sphered shrank further…

Scene Change

While Kakashi worried about the red sphere of demonic energy, Naruto was in a world of physical agony. To summarize his pain, it felt like his entire body is ripping itself apart from the inside out, with a generous dose of burning and rotting for good measure, and healing at the same rate. Gritting his teeth, Naruto was certain he was going to die at this rate when he suddenly found himself inside a graveyard.

Looking around in confusion, Naruto wondered, "Okay, I'm not with the Kyuubi-teme or in a sewer, so does that mean I'm dead?"

Before the boy could think it over, or panic, he suddenly heard a pained whisper, "Why?"

Turning around, Naruto saw a small scrawny girl who looked to be around his age or younger than him with sickly pale skin, black hair and dark rings under her emerald-green eyes. He also noted that the thin girl was dressed in rags and bandages as she asked again, "Why are you helping me?"

Realizing that the sickly person he was helping is actually a girl and that he is right now inside her mind somehow, Naruto replied, "I don't know, I never really bothered to think it through. Besides, there's no way I would ignore someone who needs my help."

The girl's expression was remorseful as she spoke, "But you're now suffering and dying because of me."

"Yeah, but it's not like I haven't suffered before."

Shocked, the girl asked, "What? Why?"

Frowning at the mere memory of their hateful glares, insults and even physical attempts to hurt him by the people of his own home village, Naruto said, "I'd… rather not talk about it." Looking at the girl, he then asked, "What about you, how did you end up being so sick?"

Wearing a despairing expression, the girl spoke, "I'm… have this terrible sickness which gives me these painful abilities and can make other people sick but in a bad way. I don't really remember how I got sick like that, or how my life used to be before I got sick, but the adults I can remember must have made me sick because they don't care that I'm hurting because of it. They… made me hurt people to see how my sickness works and would sometimes cut me open to "study" me. When I got really, really sick, they suddenly wanted to cure me but I didn't believe them and decided to run away as soon as they got careless. My sickness had been getting worse since then." Tears welled in her eyes as the girl added, "You're… the first person I know to actually care about me."

Horrified, Naruto thought, "I always knew that others have it rough but to live like that, to be considered as nothing more than an unloved tool by EVERYONE around her, is horrible." Suddenly hugging the girl, Naruto told her, "Don't worry, live or die, I won't leave your side."

Confused by his actions and statement, the girl asked, "Why?"

"Well, to put a long story short, I have a demon sealed inside of me on the day I was born. Because of that, almost all of the adults hated me and would do anything they could get away with to make my life miserable including kicking me out into the streets, giving me outrageous prices even for rotten food, assuming that they don't drive me away first, vandalizing my home, kicking me out of class for no reason, glaring at me or insulting me like I'm worse than thrash, ignoring me as though I don't exist, and getting their kids to hate me too. Hell, they even formed mobs to attack me a few times, usually during my birthdays, and they almost got me a few times."

Horrified, the girl asked, "How… how did you survive living like that?"

Wearing a sad smile, Narutop admitted, "To be honest, I couldn't. If it wasn't for the few people that care for me, like Teuchi-jisan and Ayame-neechan from Ichiraku Ramen, Hokage-jiji, and Iruka-sensei, I would be dead or worse by now."

Suddenly, the girl hugged him tightly as she cried and apologized, "I'm so sorry…"

Not sure if the girl was apologizing for making him tell her a summarized version of his painful early life or for being another person out of many to cause him hurt, Naruto could only hold her as he reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't let myself or you die without fighting back with everything I've got." The boy then had a sudden thought as he asked, "Say, what's your name by the way?"

Looking up at the boy's face, the girl then looked away as she sadly spoke, "I… don't have a name. People usually just call me Experiment 619, Zombie or Diseased Freak."

Frowning, Naruto looked into her green eyes and then had an idea, "Hey, why don't I call you Midori?"

Blinking, the girl gazed at Nartuto in confusion she asked, "Midori?"

"Well… you do have really pretty green eyes," was Naruto's sheepish reply. As far as Naruto knew, her eyes are somehow more beautiful than even Sakura's own green eyes.

Blushing at the compliment, the girl looked down to avoid his honest eyes and shyly thanked him, "T-thank you…" She then glanced up to ask, "What's your name?"

Grinning, Naruto proudly introduced himself, "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, the village outcast that will become its Hokage, believe it!" As Naruto introduced himself to Midori, the young pair never realized that they were being watched by three pairs of eyes…

Scene Change

After the red sphere finally dissipated with no visible sign of the purple miasma, Kakashi cautiously approached the site while Sasuke and Sakura followed behind with Tazuna. As they approached, Kakashi saw that Naruto was lying deathly-still on the ground with the sickly person held in his arms. Fearing for the worst, Kakashi approached the pair and realized to his relief and shock that both are somehow alive. However, Kakashi could not help but notice the changes on both children.

The sickly person Naruto was holding turned out to be a scrawny girl with untidy shoulder-length black hair and dark rings under her closed eyes. Naruto's change, while not as dramatic, was equally shocking as his sun-blond hair became pale-blond and his skin became deathly-grey in colour. What both children have in common are their bony hands and claws in place of nails. Wishing that he had a medic-ninja in the team, which he obviously does not have, Kakashi was considering an immediate retreat back to the village when the pair moaned. Concerned, the silver-haired man asked, "Are the two of you alright?"

Opening one cerulean-blue eye, Naruto squinted against the light as he asked, "Is… Midori-chan alright?"

Initially confused, Kakashi quickly realized who Naruto was referring to as he replied, "If you're talking the girl in your arms, then yes, she appears to be fine at the moment."

Smiling, Naruto thought, "Got to remember to thank Kyuubi-teme the next time I see him." Slowly getting up, Naruto could not help but realize that his body feels horribly stiff and sore. Groaning, the boy groused, "Now I know what it feels like to wake up from the grave…"

As the boy rose, the girl in his arms stirred awake as she opened her emerald-green eyes and asked, "Naruto-kun…?"

"I'm here, Midori-chan." Turning towards the boy who spoke to her, tears welled up in her eyes as she leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly as she sobbed into his chest. Smiling sincerely, Naruto held her close and allowed her to cry in relief that they are both alive and well and in apology for making him suffer for her sake. Stroking her hair, he said, "I won't leave you side, that's a promise of a lifetime."

Seeing the pair, Kakashi wore a rare smile underneath his mask and thought, "You really are the Number One Most Unpredictable Knuckle-Headed Ninja…"

Scene Change

"So, let me get this straight. You just survived being exposed to something which would have killed just about anyone, including people like the Third and Fourth Hokages, but instead of dying you instead survive by, as you put it, "pure ninja awesomeness" and insist that you are fine despite the fact that you are obviously looking different from before. Moreover, you wish to continue with the mission despite your near-death experience, the changes in your body because of it, and the fact that we now have a young girl who's clinging onto you like a tick to journey with us."

Pondering over Kakashi's words for a moment, Naruto then nodded and cheerfully replied, "Yup, that's about it."

Looking at the grinning boy, the girl named Midori who is timidly holding onto him as though for dear life, and then at the three behind him including a troubled Tazuna, a scowling Sasuke and a dumbstruck Sakura, Kakashi sighed and said, "Well, if you're fighting-fit and are prepared to be responsible for her life, I suppose I can overlook this matter. However, I WILL be reporting this matter to the Third Hokage when we return from the mission, understand?"

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!"

Seeing that it is already evening and night-time is fast approaching, Kakashi decided to have everyone prepare for camp. Sakura, who happens to be a hopeless fangirl for Uchiha Sasuke as he is good looking, the ninja rookie of the year and comes from a prestigious clan before the Uchiha Massacre, immediately tried to "help" Sasuke who completely ignored her. Being their teacher, Kakashi had already expected it. What he did not expect is Naruto choosing to ignore Sakura, who was his crush for years, and instead allowed Midori to help him to prepare for camp. Even more surprising however is the expression on Naruto's face as he wore a smile Kakashi had never seen before. Gone was the mask of a happy-go-lucky smile which seemed incapable of feeling down, replaced by a truly happy smile which had subtle hints of a deep sadness no child his age should suffer and yet could still survive with his innocence intact. Noticing that Midori was wearing the same smile, Kakashi realized that they must have similar life experiences, not surprising considering how the found the pale-green girl, and made a mental note to ask Naruto about her past as soon as he could. There is also the matter about the Kyuubi and Kakashi is quite certain that it has to do with Naruto's miraculous survival as well as the changes in his body. He then noticed Tazuna's growing unease and cannot help but suspect that the bridge builder is hiding something and that the event involving Naruto and Midori had unnerved him.

Sakura meanwhile was feeling a little disappointed when Sasuke had paid no attention to her, again, when she noticed that something was lacking for some reason. Hearing a soft giggle, Sakura turned around to see the sickly girl named Midori giggling at something Naruto had said. Quirking an eyebrow, Sakura had to wonder, "What does she see in him? I mean, sure he helped her and all but it's not like Sasuke-kun couldn't do better." Being a fangirl who went so far as to break her friendship with her childhood friend for the sake of being Sasuke's "true love", Sakura never really bothered to remember that Sasuke did not care for Midori at all much less risk his own life to help her. However, even she started to notice that Naruto's usual annoying grin had been replaced by a different kind of smile as she quietly noted, "Was his smile always this… sincere?"

Unaware of Sakura's gaze upon them, Midori giggled as Naruto told her about one of his many creatively insane pranks including one incident when he doodled on all of the ANBU masks thus embarrassing the entire ANBU division in Konohagakure. Happy to be able to make her smile, Naruto was about to tell her more about his pranking misadventures when Kakashi appeared behind them and asked, "Just curious, why are you not surprised about the change in your skin colour, Naruto?"

Looking at Kakashi, Naruto then quietly replied, "Let's just say my "fuzzy problem" told me about it before he saved all three of us and leave it at that."

Realizing who Naruto was talking about, Kakashi hid his shock behind a calm façade as he asked, "I see, any reason why?"

"Oh, you know, "fuzzy problem" not wanting to die with me and stuff like that. Just to let you know, Midori-chan knows about it too."

Glancing at the girl who nodded in confirmation, Kakashi sighed and asked, "You did inform her that it is an S-ranked secret, right?"

Blinking, Naruto then sheepishly replied, "That… kind of slipped off my mind."

Sighing, Kakashi turned his attention to Midori and said, "While I'm glad that you have accepted being Naruto's friend despite his "fuzzy problem", I must insist that you keep it a secret from other people. Not many people his own age know about it and many of the adults who do know hate him for it."

Nodding, Midori said, "I understand."

"That aside, is there any notable features about you two that we should know about?"

Shrugging, Naruto admitted, "I don't, but Midori-chan should know a thing or two unless helping her changed her more than I thought."

"I see. Would you mind showing us what you can do after we make camp, Midori-san?"

Shaking her head, Midori replied, "No, I don't mind."

Scene Change

Later that night, after everyone had eaten and Tazuna slept for the night, Team Seven stood before Midori as Kakashi spoke, "Alright, show us what you can do."

Nodding, Midori took a deep breath before her body started to change, painfully too if her discomfort is of any indication. Both Sakura and Sasuke watched in horror and shock as bulging black veins formed beneath her skin and bony spikes protruded from beneath her skin while red-black muscle became visible as random portions of her skin stretched and tore open. One of her arms changed into a thick meaty fist covered in hardened bone-like skin while her other arm possessed elongated claws which was dripping with a liquid substance which had to be poison. The overall image was, to put it simply, unnervingly monstrous even to Kakashi who had seen his share of horrors during the Third Ninja World War.

Looking at her altered form with a critical eye, Kakashi asked, "Can you use other forms?"

Midori nodded again and changed her form yet again thus resulting in her having digitigrade feet, an elongated lower jaw with tusk-like teeth and having both of her arms changing into paw-like claws. The bony vent-like spikes on her back were exhausting purple miasma and acid drooled freely from her maw.

"Okay, I think I speak for all of us that it enough." Indeed, while Kakashi still does not know her full capabilities, the things he had seen so far made him realize that the girl is far from harmless due to her ability to change her entire body into a weapon, a weapon which is quite frankly a living biohazard. Hearing the man's statement, Midori changed back into her normal human form although her clothes are now even more ragged than before. Turning his attention to Naruto, Kakashi asked, "Can you use the same abilities as her?"

Shrugging, Naruto said, "I guess so, but I'll need to learn from her how to do it."

Accepting the boy's answer, Kakashi said, "Alright, the rest of you go and get some rest." Pointing at Naruto and Midori, he added, "Especially you two. We'll set off for Wave first thing in the morning."

As the genin and the girl went to sleep, with Midori choosing to sleep with Naruto, Kakashi mused, "Those techniques, it seems to be a fusion of several bloodlines." The man frowned deeply as he considered the possible combinations, "The Kaguya clan with their Dead Bone Pulse techniques, the Dokusoeki clan with their Plague Bearer techniques, maybe even the Kyuuketsuki clan with their Blood Bending techniques, and assuming that she had inherited any of the Uzumaki clan's traits from Naruto, a possibility of having their famous stamina and longevity. She may even be pseudo-jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko judging from its involvement in saving the two of them." Shaking his head, Kakashi thought, "If what Naruto said about becoming liker her is true then, in addition to being an Uzumaki and a jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko, he's a fellow inheritor of some of the most infamous bloodlines ever known in all of the Elemental Nations…"

Scene Change

On the following day, Naruto woke up feeling pleasantly warm. Opening one eye, he blushed as he saw Midori snuggling onto him like a kitten or a puppy. While he was fine with it, he knew that getting caught in such a position with Midori by his teammates will cause a whole lot of trouble. Desperate to get out of the awkward situation before getting caught, Naruto shook her gently thus causing her to frown as she hugged him more tightly. Blushing even more furiously, Naruto was at a loss when he heard Kakashi's voice, "Am I interrupting anything?"

Turning his gaze at the man who must be grinning cheekily beneath his mask, Naruto swore to get even with him as he spoke, "No, of course not!" Due to his outburst, Midori woke up with an unhappy groan as her eyes opened.

Still wearing his amused expression, Kakashi drawled, "If you say so."

Before long, both children appeared out of their tent to wash up and eat their breakfast before breaking camp and continuing their way to Wave. However, as they ate and then broke camp, Naruto could not help but notice Sakura looking at him and Midori with fear and disgust in her eyes while Sasuke simply glared at them with an unreadable expression on his face. Although unhappy with the recent development, Naruto could understand their reactions somewhat as even he found Midori's ability, and which he himself also possess, to be rather gross and even a little scary. Normally, the boy would seek out for Sakura's attention and ask her out for a date but, considering the current situation and his new friendship with Midori, the boy felt disinclined to do so at least for now. If he was being honest to himself, he would value his new friendship with Midori over his long-time crush with Sakura as Sakura had never accepted him unlike Midori who also knows about his terrible burden and understands his loneliness.

After packing up their belongings, the six individuals set off for Wave. As before, Naruto eagerly took the forward position while Sasuke and Sakura walked beside Tazuna and Kakashi strolled behind the elderly man. However, as everyone else noticed, Midori decided to walk alongside with Naruto and both children held each other's hands as they travelled towards their destination.

Seeing the friendly interaction between the two, Sasuke was completely indifferent while Kakashi smiled at the two and hoped that they would be friends if not more. Tazuna however became even more uneasy, something which Kakashi noticed as well thus dampening his good mood somewhat. Sakura on the other hand cannot help but feel an unpleasant emotion in her chest at seeing them holding hands and smiling at each other. If she could name the emotion, it would be something similar to disgust but mixed with disappointment and, for some reason she just cannot comprehend, something suspiciously similar to jealousy and even a hint of heartache. "What's so great about her anyway? He hardly knows her, he almost died from saving her from her own techniques, which are bloody disgusting by the way, and yet they're both acting like they're meant to be together!" Suddenly, realization hit her like a landslide as she continued to think it over, "Wait a minute, "meant to be together"? Does that mean that I am actually getting jealous of them, a pathetic loser and a disgusting freak, being together in love?" It did not require ninja training to see the increasingly strained expression on her face as she continued to think, "No, that's insane! There's no way I'd ever get jealous of them being together! It'll be like me being jealous of Ino-pig choosing one of those two losers in her team as he boyfriend instead of Sasuke-kun!"

Blissfully unaware of Sakura's admittedly comical internal turmoil, Naruto and Midori strolled forward towards their destination without a care in the world…

Scene Change

Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves, a tall muscular man with pale skin, short spiky black hair, brown eyes and hardly any eyebrows stood before two other ninjas. Dressed in baggy pants, wrist and leg warmers, a belt in place of a shirt to hold a large cleaver-like sword on his back as well as bandages to cover his nose and mouth and a Kirigakure headband tied sideways on his head, the man was known as Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist and former ninja of Kirigakure until his treachery against the current Mizukage. Kneeling before him were two brothers, Meizu and Gouzu, the Demon Brothers and fellow former ninjas of Kirigakure. Gouzu, who wears a Kirigakure forehead protector with a single horn attached to it, a rebreather which covers his lower face and a clawed gauntlet on his right arm with shoulder-length dark-brown hair and dark eyes, reported, "We apologize for failing to kill the target, Zabuza-sama. However, there were some… unexpected events which we could not afford to leave you ignorant off." Kneeling at Gouzu's right side was Meizu who resembles his brother except that his forehead protector has two horns, wears his clawed gauntlet on the left arm and has wild hair of the same length and colour.

Gazing upon his two subordinates, Zabuza said, "Then speak."

"We were waiting in hiding to kill the target and whoever would stand in our way. However, before the target could arrive, a sickly girl appeared and fell in between us and the target," reported Gouzu.

Unimpressed, Zabuza asked, "And how does that justify your failure?"

"The target arrived with some Konoha ninjas, including Hatake Kakashi as a jounin sensei of his own genin team."

Raising an eyebrow at the mention of the famous Konokagakure jounin, Zabuza thought, "I suppose that could justify their hesitation but there must be more to it than that." Turning his attention to Meizu, Zabuza asked, "And so you two, the infamous Demon Brothers, fled at the mere sight of the Copycat Ninja and his brats?"

Infuriated, Meizu, who is the more violent of the two brothers, shouted, "Of course we're not scared of his brats, Zabuza-sama! What scared us off was that sickly freak that got in their way!"

Now feeling very curious, Zabuza asked, "And why is that?"

Gouzu, the calmer of the two brothers, spoke on Meizu's behalf, "The sickly girl for some reason has abilities similar to that of the Kaguya and Dokusoeki clans."

Hearing Gouzu's explanation, Zabuza froze as he felt an emotion he had not felt in a long time, fear. Although the Kaguya clan is indeed an infamous clan of battle-loving berserkers which the ability to manipulate their bones at will to form weapons, shields and armour harder than even steel, the Dokusoeki clan is even more insidious in their cruelty as they are master manipulators of poison and, more importantly, pestilence. Capable of creating highly virulent diseases, even one of them is enough to cripple an entire army once the infection takes hold. Fortunately for their enemies, their highly poisonous and disease-ridden bodies make it extremely difficult for them to form a large clan as any coupling with outsiders will kill the said individuals. For a child to possess both bloodlines, the implications are terrifying to say the least.

Calming himself, not that the brothers noticed his fear, Zabuza asked, "And what happened to the girl?"

"One of the genin, a blond boy in a ridiculous orange outfit, wanted to help her when her Plague Bearer and Dead Bone Pulse abilities suddenly overloaded, which was probably what was making her so sick, and released a huge cloud of miasma after accidentally impaling the boy with her bones. Meizu and I barely avoided inhaling the miasma and ran for it."

Hearing Gouzu's explanation, Zabuza had to admit that even he would flee from the miasma. However, he needed to be sure as he asked, "So, did they all die from the miasma?"

Shaking his head, Gouzu explained, "No, when we finally dared to return, all of them, including the girl and that boy who held her when she released her miasma, were alive. As soon as we confirmed their survival, we decided to report immediately to you."

Disappointed, Zabuza asked, "And it never crossed your minds to assassinate them while they were all distracted?"

"Admittedly, no, but we do have more to tell you to justify it." Seeing Zabuza nod in beckoning, Gouzu explained further, "While we were fleeing, we saw some sort of demonic red chakra unlike any we've ever seen before being released to contain the miasma. Unless I'm mistaken, that red chakra was what saved that boy and the girl while the others fled like us."

Frowning, Zabuza mused, "Demonic red chakra. As far as I know, only a jinchuuriki like that bastard of a Mizukage has that kind of chakra… wait a minute, a Konohagakure genin and demonic chakra. Could it be…?" Looking intently at the Demon Brothers, Zabuza asked, "Was it the boy in orange who released that red chakra?"

"We could not tell from the miasma blocking our view."

Not surprised by Gouzu's reply, Zabuza was nevertheless displeased by the lack of concrete information as he asked, "Are they still proceeding with their mission in escorting our target towards Wave?"

Nodding, Meizu said, "Yes, along with that sickly freak tagging along."

Not liking the unexpected turn of events, Zabuza knew he would need to rethink his strategy as he asked, "Are there anything else you know of that you have not told me?"

"Yes, in fact. While we do not know exactly how it happened, the sickly girl was able to get her bloodline abilities back under control and may now be able to control it at will unlike before judging by how they are continuing with their mission with her following them. Also, the boy may have inherited her bloodline abilities as his skin and hair colour changed after being exposed to the miasma."

Hearing Gouzu's last explanation, Zabuza just knew that he was going to have a headache as he told the two brothers that they could leave. As the Demon Brothers left, a masked figure appeared behind Zabuza and asked, "What do you plan to do, Zabuza-sama?"

Not turning around to gaze at his third subordinate, Zabuza said, "As much as I hate to say it, I'm seriously considering quitting this job and making a run for it. If those two brats really have the Dead Bone Pulse and Plague Bearer abilities, facing them would be suicide."

Tilting his head, the masked person asked, "Why? Surely their lack of experience and control will put them at a disadvantage?"

"Normally, that is true. However, in the case of the Dokusoeki clan, inexperience and lack of control actually makes them even more dangerous to both their allies and their enemies as their ability can go out of control with unpredictable results. The last thing we need is a repeat of the Black Plague."

Now understanding Zabuza's reasoning, the masked figure asked, "So shall we retreat then, Zabuza-sama?"

"No, as much as I'm tempted to just abandon the mission we need the money to fund our rebellion." Considering the possible actions he can take and the resulting outcomes, Zabuza the decided, "Haku, spy on our employer and see if he would keep his end of the bargain. If he would not, not that I'll be surprised by it, then we might be able to work a few things out with the Konohagakure ninjas."

Well aware of Zabuza's way of thinking, Haku bowed and said, "As you wish, Zabuza-sama."

-Chapter Fin-

Note: This will be a Naruto X OC story although Naruto MAY get a small harem if it fits with the flow of the story. Also, there is a chance of Naruto getting overpowered although I will try to keep it as believable as possible. As for anyone hoping for zombies, let's just say Naruto and Midori alone already count although more MIGHT just be coming in later chapters. As an extra note, this chapter has undergone a minor rewrite.


	2. Chapter 1

**Naruto: Plaguelord of The Leaf**

Disclaimer: This will be a Naruto fanfiction with a bit of a twist involving "Technically Living Zombie" trope and may get AU. With that said, I hope you enjoy this story.

**Chapter 1: Shadow Plague**

It took a few days to travel from where they met Midori to the border into the Land of Waves. During that time, Naruto had slowly learnt how to use his newfound powers which are indeed the same as Midori's own bloodline abilities. One of the earliest skills he had leant was to use his unique chakra, which is now purple unlike the usual blue or demonic red colour, to create the same purple miasma which almost killed him. As the miasma has the elements of both poison and disease, Kakashi made it extremely clear that he is not to use that ability until his chakra control improves. Considering his poor chakra control due to his abnormally large reserves and his status as a jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko, and the fact that his bloodline ability seems to be affected by his emotions, Kakahi's warning certainly deserves at least some merit. Speaking of the demon fox, Naruto had been unable to contact the fox ever since that day when he first met Midori although he does have an instinctive feeling that the Kyuubi is still alive inside of him. Naruto also told Kakashi about his encounter with the fox and about Midori's painful past which caused the man to suspect that she was once an experiment to create a living bioweapon. Due to the nature of Midroi's past, Kakashi has at least a suspicion as to who is responsible for making her fall ill to the terrible illness that would have killed her had she not met Naruto.

The second skill which Naruto learnt was admittedly by accident as Sakura tried to punch him in the head only to almost break her fingers as his skull suddenly became harder than steel and had pony protrusion from his scalp. Not surprisingly, Sakura had ceased to physically abuse him for whatever mistakes he had made during the journey but is not above insulting him thus earning Midori's intense dislike for her. In fact, Midori almost attacked Sakura a couple of times only to be stopped by Kakashi who told her that he needed everyone to be fighting-fit for the mission. However he also made it clear that he would not tolerate Sakura antagonizing Midori even if indirectly by insulting the boy that had essentially saved her. Despite being a Sasuke fangirl and having a dislike for Naruto who has now become freaky on top of annoying, Sakura at least had enough common sense to realize that Midori was defending Naruto just as she would have defended her Sasuke-kun. Still, old habits die hard and Kakashi just knew that Midori would make Sakura regret it once the mission is over.

Although unable to really shape-shift like Midori, Naruto was nevertheless able to at least manipulate his bones to create bony spikes and claws. Naruto also learnt that his shadow clones, a skill he had learnt from reading the forbidden scroll after failing the third time due to failing to create a normal illusionary clone, can be used to poison his enemies by simply dispelling as they leave a cloud of poisonous miasma rather than normal smoke. Combined with his large reserves which allow him to create hundreds or even thousands of shadow clones which can actually physically attack unlike normal clones, even Sasuke was forced to realize that Naruto's new bloodline ability had made him potentially extremely dangerous.

While helping Naruto understand his newfound abilities to the best of her admittedly inexperienced abilities, Midori was also starting to learn more about her own. The first thing she learnt was that she can grow tumours at will and actually use them to create a variety of biological weapons including sacs of miasma and bony spikes which she can use like kunai. She also learnt that she can actually grow mushrooms on her body, which is actually not overly surprising considering that there is such a thing such as fungal infections. Besides practicing her bloodline abilities, she also started to learn some of the basic ninjutsu which Naruto had learnt from the academy, which is really not very much due to not paying attention in class and the teachers generally refusing to help him or even sabotaging his lessons at times.

Through observing their training sessions, Kakashi noted that both children are probably either highly resistant or even immune to most biological poisons and diseases as they could spar one another without falling sick despite using their bloodline abilities. He also noted that if Naruto could improve his chakra control, he would theoretically be able to use Midori's shape-shifting as well as her tumour and mushroom-growing abilities in time.

Ever since Naruto's change, both Sakura and Sasuke made it a point to avoid him and Midori as they do not wish to fall sick, not that they can afford to since they are on a mission regardless. Of course, Naruto was unhappy by their actions but cannot fully blame them for not wanting to fall sick while on a mission and can only hope that they would stop avoiding him or Midori once the mission is over. However, given their fear and disgust, even Naruto cannot deny that the chances are slim at best. Thankfully though, both Kakashi and Tazuna are willing to at least talk to him and Midori although even Kakashi avoided getting close to them when they use their abilities. Also, Naruto and Midori have each other and their friendship only grew as they spent time together…

Scene Change

Having secretly crossed into the Land of Waves by boat, Team Seven, Midori and Tazuna were soon on their way towards Tazuna's home when the mist suddenly became thicker. Sensing incoming danger, Kakashi said, "Everyone, stop."

As everyone stopped walking, the Konohagakure jounin warily glanced about for any incoming danger when a voice spoke, "Well, well, if it isn't the famous Copycat Ninja, Hatake Kakashi." Appearing out of the mist before the group was a man who could lift and carry an overly-huge cleaver-like sword as though it was nothing.

While everyone else stared at the obviously dangerous man in fear, Kakashi glared at him and said, "Momochi Zabuza, formerly one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure and the infamous Demon of the Mist."

Smirking underneath the bandages that cover his lower face, Zabuza said, "That I am." Releasing a powerful burst of killing intent, the man added, "I came here to kill your client. If you would be so kind as to let me finish him, I will be willing to leave the rest of you alone."

While Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna were frozen in fear, both Naruto and Midori did the unexpected as they suddenly changed form with black veins bulging out of their skin. Midori suddenly grew bony spikes out of her spine, shoulders and joints as well as claws which were dripping with poison. Naruto on the other hand could only shape-shift his hands as they became bony claws studded with spikes and was starting to exhale miasma from his mouth. While surprised by their reactions to Zabuza's killing intent, Kakashi was nevertheless glad that they would not freeze in terror should the man decide to suddenly attack.

Zabuza meanwhile was almost frowning in displeasure as it was apparent that both Midori and Naruto were able to use the bloodlines abilities the Demon Brothers had informed him of earlier and that they were not too scared to use their abilities either. Then again, he was already half-expecting the outcome as the man asked, "Aren't you all going to ask your client why a missing-nin of Kirigakure is aiming for his head?"

Not taking his eyes of Zabuza, Kakashi said, "I'm guessing it has something to do with someone with enough power and money to hire you not wanting our client to complete the bridge."

While Tazuna was shocked that Kakashi had actually known or at least suspected the truth, Zabuza grinned and said, "Indeed, my client happens to hate the idea of losing his monopoly over this land and would be very unhappy if your client succeeds in completing the bridge."

"And why would you tell us that titbit of information?" asked Kakashi.

"Let's just say that if you do not want to risk losing your brats just because they took on a mission that is obviously way above their current abilities, I would suggest that you leave your client. He did lie about the ranking of your mission after all."

Hearing Zabuza's almost-smug statement, which does have merit if you are willing to be cruelly pragmatic, Kakashi nevertheless asked, "And what makes you think that we would believe you? After all, you might just kill us as soon as we lower our guard."

Snorting, Zabuza said, "Please, I may enjoy the idea of defeating you and claiming your head as well as getting paid by my client but I have no interest in killing weakling brats. Besides, which one among your lot is still willing to continue protecting that liar of a bridge builder?" Tazuna, who had indeed lied about the ranking of the mission, was close to despairing as he just knew that the Konohagakure ninjas would agree with Zabuza and abandon him.

Before anyone else could speak, Naruto asked, "Were you the bastards that hurt Midori-chan and made her sick?"

Blinking in response to the boy's unexpected query, Zabuza nevertheless answered, "No, I've never met a girl with green skin before, or a girl with pink hair for that matter." Narrowing his eyes, Zabuza asked, "Why?"

Grinning daringly despite the danger, Naruto said, "That's because you spoke as though our lives wouldn't be at risk if you never got involved with our client. The thing is, I almost died once on this mission already even without your involvement and yet here I am, still alive and kicking." Assuming a fighting stance, Naruto added, "If you think that over-sized meat-cleaver is going to scare me, think again!" Heartened by Naruto's words, Midori also assumed a fighting stance, ready to help Naruto defeat the masked man. Even Sasuke and Sakura found inspiration in his words, not that they would ever willingly admit it.

Smiling proudly at his students, especially Naruto, Kakashi said, "Well, as a jounin instructor, I do need to set up at least some good examples for my cute little genin." Taking out his kunai, Kakashi added, "Ready when you are, Zabuza."

Looking at the jounin, his genin students and Midori, Zabuza sighed and said, "Alright, I give up."

Surprised, Naruto intelligibly asked, "What?"

Wearing an annoyed expression, Zabuza explained, "I said I give up."

Not expecting Zabuza's response either, Kakashi had to ask, "And why are you giving up so easily?"

Sheathing his sword, Zabuza glared at Kakashi and said, "Please, like you don't already know about the nature of that green-skinned girl, and your orange-wearing student by extension."

Now realizing why Zabuza is unwilling to fight, Kakashi was almost tempted to relax his guard as he asked, "How did you find out?"

"Like I would tell you that," replied Zabuza.

"Touché, but surely you're not just going to quit your mission without doing anything about it. You do need your pay after all,"

Nodding in confirmation, Zabuza explained, "After I learnt about your brats'… unique circumstances, I decided to investigate my client for a bit and see if he's the type that will honour his end of the bargain. Turns out that he wouldn't if he can get away with it and, as much as I hate not getting my pay, I hate dying pointlessly even more."

Now understanding Zabuza's current situation, Kakashi asked, "So in other words, you wanted to either kill our client with little trouble or, in the event that it would not happen, cut your losses and quit your mission."

"Close, I still want that money so I'm willing to give you information and even assist you in dealing with my client and his pathetic goons if you're willing to let me take the money he had "promised" to pay me."

"Just how much is he planning to pay you anyway?" asked Naruto.

Zabuza's smirk was visible beneath the bandages as he stated the amount. Hearing the amount which is much more than the pay for their current C-ranked mission, Naruto whistled as he swore, "Damn, that's a lot of money alright."

"So, do we have a deal?" asked Zabuza.

Cautious, Kakashi said, "While it is certainly something worth considering, we will not make any promises until we at least escort our client back to his home." His eyes narrowed as he released his own burst of killing intent and added, "But do anything that will suggest that you will betray us and I will eliminate you, and your allies." Both Meizu and Gouzu who had hidden themselves in the mist shivered as they knew that they cannot match against him.

Impressed by Kakashi's killing intent, Zabuza nodded and motioned his hand for the Demon Brothers to leave. As they left, he spoke to to Kakashi before leaving himself, "We will be expecting your answer soon, Hatake Kakashi."

Watching the masked swordman disappear into the mist, Kakashi only relaxed his guard when the thick mist cleared. Turning his attention to Tazuna, Kakashi said, "Alright, start explaining."

Scene Change

It did not take long for Team Seven to obtain Tazuna's confession that he had indeed lied to them about the ranking of the mission, which is at least A-Ranked rather than C-Ranked due to Zabuza's involvement. However, he was forced to do so due to being unable to pay for better protection as well as his desperate desire to complete the bridge as the economy of Land of Waves is currently being monopolized by a cruel business tycoon known as Gatou, the owner of Gatou Cooperation. Should the bridge be completed, Gatou would lose his monopoly and therefore lose his control over Wave which is currently suffering poverty due to the said monopoly.

Deciding to continue with the mission, they eventually managed to get back to Tazuna's home safely without further incident. Upon returning home, Tazuna was greeted by his daughter, Tsunami, who was relieved to see that he had returned safely despite the circumstances. Grinning, Tazuna reassured her, "We have some super-strong ninjas with us which even Gatou's hired ninjas are scared of, so we should be safe for a while!"

Secretly peering at Naruto and Midori from behind his favourite book with an orange cover, known as Icha Icha Paradise, Kakashi mused, "More like children with a combination of different bloodline abilities so dangerous that not even their own allies can afford to be careless, not to mention a jinchuuriki whom Zabuza might be at least suspicious of."

"So, are we really going to work together with Zabuza to deal with Gatou?" asked Naruto.

Scared at the prospect of working together with Zabuza and angry that Naruto would even suggest it, Sakura shouted, "Of course not! There's no way we're going to work together with that monster!" While aware that Sakura was accusing Zabuza of being a monster, her words still made Naruto tense as he had been called such by the adults that hated him, and thought that he was not listening, for long enough to know.

"Actually, it might be a good idea," replied Kakashi.

Shocked, Sakura asked, "What? Why?"

"Firstly, we need to protect Tazuna-san and one way to protect him would be to eliminate a known threat. However, given Gatou's position as a well-known shipping tycoon, we won't be able to eliminate him immediately unless we have definite proof of his guilty actions which Zabuza might be able to provide for us. Another reason is that completing the bridge won't mean the end of Tazuna-san's problems as Gatou may use his resources to destroy the bridge or make travel by bridge difficult." Kakashi's explanation disheartened Tazuna and Tsunami as they both knew the possible implications of the second fact.

Hearing Kakashi's reasons for wanting to work with Zabuza, Naruto then had an idea, "Hey, how about we just make Gatou and his men really sick? That way we can say that they suffered a bad bug and probably died from it."

Surprised by Naruto's suggestion, Kakashi then asked, "And how exactly are you planning to make them sick without anyone, at least other than Zabuza and his underlings, realizing that it is us?"

Grinning, Naruto asked, "Have you already forgotten who the best prankster in Konohagakure is?"

While Naruto explained his idea to Kakashi, a young boy with dark hair and eyes as well as wearing a cap peeked at the newcomers with open distrust in his eyes…

Scene Change

Before long, Zabuza and the Demon Brothers arrived at Tazuna's house. Kakashi and the four children were prepared for treachery as the silver-haired man asked, "Before we accept any deals, tell me how exactly you are going to help us get rid of your client, Gatou?"

Not surprised thet Kakashi had found out the name of his client, Zabuza spat, "Well, considering how that bastard is being a complete pain in the ass due to my "incompetence", I'm quite tempted to just storm into whichever hole he's hiding in and take his head." The swordsman then asked, "What about you? I'm sure even you Konohagakure softies realize that your client is better off with Gatou dead."

"While I'm willing to say that you're right that our client would be better off with yours dead, I cannot say that I agree with the idea of storming in and killing everyone inside. Gatou is a well-known business tycoon and any attempts to take his life will have repercussions," replied Kakashi.

"I'm guessing that you want this to be a covert mission so that you can kill Gatou and not have anyone accuse your village of murdering him without proof that the world if better off without him?" asked Zabuza.

Nodding, Kakashi replied, "That's pretty much the idea. The only other idea I can think of is putting up a show to draw Gatou out to betray you and then kill him."

Pondering over Kakashi's ideas, Zabuza then answered, "As much as I would love to have a duel with you, I'd go for the covert assassination mission since the bastard is probably already getting suspicious." Turning his attention towards the four children, Zabuza asked, "So, are they going to get involved?"

"As a matter of fact, they are."

Surprised by Kakashi's statement, Zabuza was stunned into momentary silence as Naruto grinned and told him his idea, and idea inspired by his days as a prankster…

Scene Change

Gatou, a short man with grey hair and a moustache, was scowling as he recalled his last conversation with the so-called Demon of the Mist and thought, "That incompetent excuse of a ninja can't even assassinate a single bridge builder!" What made him even more furious is that Zabuza had informed him that there had been some unexpected complication which delayed the assassination but would not give any details even after confirming that Tazuna had returned to Wave. "If I didn't know any better, he's probably planning to get rid of me and claim all of my money!" Needless to say, the greedy man would not allow it to happen as he was already making plans to deal with the missing-nin from Kirigakure as well as his underlings.

Scene Change

Hearing Naruto's idea, Zabuza rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "That might work. Not exactly fool-proof and bloody conspicuous to anyone that knows what to look for but should be effective enough against Gatou and his men." The fact that no one would be able to pin the blame on him, the Demon Brothers or even Kakashi should someone decide to investigate, which is unlikely if done right, is definitely a plus.

Grinning, Naruto asked, "So, are we going to do it tonight?"

Nodding, Zabuza said, "Preferably, if Gatou is already suspecting my pre-emptive counter-treachery he will no doubt do something to get rid of me and my men. The sooner we deal with him the better."

Turning his attention towards Sasuke and Sakura who were still cautiously staring at Zabuza and the Demon Brothers, Kakashi said, "You two will remain here to guard Tazuna and his family while I, Naruto and Midori deal with Gatou with Zabuza's help."

Scowling, Sasuke asked, "And since when does the dobe and his girlfriend get the special treatment?"

Blindly agreeing with Sasuke, Sakura asked, "Yeah, why are that idiot and his freaky girlfriend helping you while Sasuke-kun and I are stuck with guard duty?"

Hurt and angered by Sakura insulting Midori, Naruto shouted, "Hey, Midori-chan's is not a freak!"

Huffing haughtily, Sakura argued, "Yeah right, have you already forgotten what her bloodline does? It's disgusting!"

Infuriated by her words, bony spikes and claws started to grow on Naruto's hands as he shouted, "Midori-chan's not a disgusting freak! The real disgusting freaks are the ones that made her that way!" Shocked by Naruto's shout and his tone of voice which sounded truly angry, Sakura was stunned while Naruto continued to rant, "I may not care what you say about me since I've received much worse form a lot of people but don't you dare insult her when you don't even know what she had to go through!"

Normally Sakura would berate Naruto, violently if needed, for daring to argue against her. However, his words gave her pause as she subconsciously knew that Naruto would know Midori better than her and thus may know things that she did not know as he had spent a lot of time with that girl. In addition, Naruto's words gave the clear implication that Midori was actually forced to inherit the terrible bloodline which is arguably worse than simply being born with it. Nevertheless, Sakura did not like losing to Naruto of all people in an argument as she angrily asked, "And what do you know about her pain? You talk as though you even knew what it means to suffer!"

"And what if I do? What if the smile I always wore was just a mask to hide my pain because almost everyone in my own home village hates me?" shouted Naruto.

Stunned, Sakura did not know what else to say as Kakashi decided to interrupt, "Alright, that's enough you two." Turning his attention to Sakura and Sasuke, he explained, "The reason why Naruto and Midori are following me is because they are vital for the mission as they have the ability to create miasma to poison Gatou and his men. They are also immune to their own poison, something which the both of you and our client obviously lack. Therefore, I need to both of your to stay back and protect Tazuna in case anything happens while we're gone." Still stunned, Sakura nodded dumbly while Sasuke looked away with a haughty grunt. Sighing, Kakashi turned his attention to the still-angry Naruto and upset Midori and said, "We best get going."

As Kakashi, Naruto and Midori left with Zabuza and the Demon Brothers, Sakura and Sasuke returned back to Tazuna's house with their client…

Scene Change

It was an unusually misty night when two of Gatou's mercenaries were patrolling around Gatou's building. While on patrol, they saw a sickly scrawny boy with white hair appearing from the mist. Knowing that no outsiders, especially not skinny brats dressed only in rags and bandages, are allowed to enter uninvited, the two guards wore sadistic grins at the prospect of having some fun tormenting the boy to alleviate their boredom. Drawing out their swords, the two men swaggered their way towards the boy as one of them spoke, "Hey, this is Gatou Corp property. No one is allowed to enter without Gatou's permission." His grin grew as he added, "And that means that we have every right to hurt you so do put a bit of effort while we make you squeal!"

Without further warning, the two men charged forward to abuse the boy. However, as soon as they struck with the flat of their swords, the boy disappeared in a puff of purple mist. Shocked, the two men backed away to avoid inhaling the substance. However, despite not inhaling the purple mist, they still ended up feeling feverishly weak and nauseous while painful sores began to form on the portions of their skin which came to contact with the mist. Unable to remain standing, both men fell down and were soon unconscious.

Once the two men were unconscious, another white-haired boy appeared followed by another boy and a female counterpart until a literal small army of white-haired children of all ages lurched from the surrounding mists towards Gatou's building…

Scene Change

Watching the lurching children from afar, Kakashi said, "Naruto, remind me to never ever face your shadow clones head-on."

"Me and the brothers would like to second that motion," said an understandably disturbed Zabuza while the Demon Brothers nodded vigorously in agreement. Facing anyone, even a mere genin, who can easily create hundreds of shadow clones is already bad enough but a boy who can create hundreds of shadow clones which release poisonous miasma upon dispelling is just plain overkill.

Grinning, Naruto asked, "So, do you think that'll be enough to get Gatou?"

Peering at the hundreds of clones, all of which have assumed different forms for the sake of disguising Naruto's involvement in the attack, Kakashi said, "Seeing that they have the building completely surrounded, the only ways Gatou would escape from your clones would be by hiding in a hidden room that they cannot find, escape by a hidden passageway or not being in that building in the first place."

"Let's just hope that he's not that well-prepared. Finding his sorry ass would be a bloody pain if he does get away," growled Zabuza.

"That aside, how long do you think we need to wait before the miasma clears, Zabuza-sama?" asked Gouzu. Having dealt with poisons before, the Demon Brothers knew that they would need to wait for the poisonous mist to clear before they can even think about entering the area unless they are immune to it, which they are obviously not.

Glaring at Gouzu, Zabuza replied, "How the hell should I know? Why don't you ask the orange-brat or his girl?"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto sheepishly admitted, "Well, the truth is, I've no idea myself. This is the first time after my change that I've used so many clones let alone use them that way."

"Wait, are you saying that we might have to wait for hours or even days for the poison to clear?" asked an incredulous Meizu.

Frowning, Kakashi said, "We cannot afford to wait that long. While our team's mission to protect our client will take at least a month, we cannot afford to be unaware of Gatou's fate for that long." He then asked Midori who should have a better understanding of the ability she shares with Naruto, "Do you know any way to make the miasma clear faster?"

Nodding, Midori said, "I can eat it."

Blinking, the other five wondered, "Eat it?"

Scene Change

An hour later, after Naruto told Kakashi that the Gatou's entire compound is covered with miasma thanks to the unique fact that shadow clones can transfer their knowledge to the user of the said technique upon dispelling, the group approached the site. Cautious of the poisonous miasma which can affect them even with just skin contact, they stayed far away while Naruto and Midori approached the purple mist-like substance. Once close enough, Midori opened her mouth wide and proceeded to inhale the miasma. Shocked, Zabuza thought, "I'm pretty damn sure that the Dokusoeki clan never had THAT ability."

Kakashi on the other hand mused, "So it seems that she really does have the Kyuuketsuki clan's ability except that she devours poison and probably even diseases rather than blood. I wonder if she could use that miasma like how they could use their own blood as a weapon."

Awed by her ability, Naruto decided to try as well and found to his surprise that he could indeed use her admittedly simple ability albeit much less effectively due to his lower level of control. It did not take long for the boy to have a competition with Midori on who will consume more of the deadly miasma, a challenge which Midori amusedly accepted. Before long, the miasma was quickly cleared and everyone could enter with relative safety. Despite being aware that many of the victims to the miasma are heartless mercenaries, both Naruto and Midori still felt bad as they saw the suffering and even dying individuals that littered the ground. Even Zabuza, who had gleefully slaughtered the entire graduating class of his own home village despite not even being an academy student himself, found the miserable sight to his distaste.

Making their way towards Gatou's office, they soon found out that the man had indeed tried to escape through a hidden passageway. However, in his panic, the man fell and cracked his skull thus killing him quickly. Shaking his head in disgust, Zabuza spat, "I almost feel bad for his miserable way of dying."

Seeing that Gatou had perished, the group wasted no time to retrieve documents to prove Gatou's guilt and to obtain the money he promised to pay Zabuza, whom Gatou did indeed plan to betray. After collecting what they needed, they left Gatou's compound…

Scene Change

"Well, it was unexpectedly good business with you Konoha ninjas," said Zabuza. Having gotten what they came for, without any losses worth worrying about at that, Zabuza was in an admittedly good mood.

"I'm guessing that this is the point when we part ways?" asked Kakashi.

Nodding, Zabuza said, "There's little point in staying here any longer and being missing-nins from Kirigakura does not exactly encourage us to settle down anytime soon." Left unsaid was that he and Haku had planned to kill Gatou from the very beginning as they despised the man and could always make use of additional funds.

Understanding Zabuza's point, Kakashi said, "Well, let us just hope that the next time we meet we would not have to end up trying to kill each other."

Snorting, Zabuza said, "Afraid that you will lose in a duel with me, Copycat Ninja?"

Almost tempted to ask Zabuza if he had just said something, like what he would often do with a certain spandex-clad self-proclaimed rival of his, Kakashi instead said, "No, but I do plan to live long enough to at least see my genin team become chuunin."

Looking at Naruto and Midori who stood behind Kakashi, Zabuza said, "Shouldn't be too hard considering that you have these two brats, one of which has to be a damned jinchuuriki whom I'm guessing is the brat in orange since he made all those shadow clones." Both Naruto and Midori were shocked that the man somehow knew about Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki.

Not surprised by Zabuza's statement, Kakashi asked, "And what do you plan to do with that information?"

Shrugging, Zabuza admitted, "Normally I would love to give away that information to the highest bidder but even I'm not dumb enough to anger a jinchuuriki who can create an army of poisonous shadow clones. Besides, those two brats are the reason why we got the money without having to fight against your team to the death so I'm willing to keep that boy's status as a jinchuuriki and their bloodlines as secrets to return the favour."

Satisfied with the man's response, Kakashi said, "Well, it was good working together with you rather than trying to kill you. Be sure to say hi to your fake hunter-nin for me!"

Surprised by Kakashi's cheerful statement, the two children looked around to find the fake hunter-nin he mentioned about while Zabuza growled in mild displeasure and said, "If I were you, I'd keep that information to myself unless you do not care about me revealing what I know about those two brats."

Raising his hands, Kakashi said, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Just be sure to keep your end of the bargain."

Grunting in understanding, Zabuza and the Demon Brothers quickly left the other three and regrouped with the masked Haku before leaving the Land of Waves…

Scene Change

Sakura and Sasuke were eating breakfast prepared by Tsunami when Kakashi, Midori and Naruto returned. Relieved that they have returned, Tazuna asked, "So, how did your mission go?"

Smiling reassuringly, Kakashi said, "The good news is that Gatou is dead and that Zabuza is unlikely to cause us any problems anytime soon."

"And the bad news?" asked Tazuna.

"Well, let's just say that we left a lot of poisoned and diseased dead bodies at his place and that we'll need to get the bodies cleared. Wouldn't want to have this place suffering a plague outbreak or anything," replied Kakashi.

Before Tazuna could express his relief and gratitude, a young boy with a cap on his head as well as dark hair and eyes shouted, "Liar, there's no way you can beat Gatou!"

Recognizing the boy to be Tsunami's son, as well as Tazuna's grandson, Inari, Kakashi knew that the boy had suffered because Gatou executed his stepfather, Kaiza. Ever since the death of his father-figure who was bravely trying to rally the people of Wave to stand against Gatou, the boy was convinced that there is no such things such as heroes and had pretty much resigned to his fate that Gatou will always win by crushing anyone that dares to defy him. Looking at the boy, Kakashi patiently spoke, "No, we did indeed beat Gatou."

Glaring at the masked ninja, Inari shouted, "I don't believe you! Gatou would have never let any of you live!"

Before anyone could say further, Naruto appeared before the boy and gave him a smack on the head. Stunned, the boy stared at Naruto while rubbing his head as the former blond spoke, "I'm going to only say this once so you better zip your cry-baby mouth and listen!"

Angry at Naruto's actions, Sakura was about to berate him when Kakashi raised his hand to stop her and said, "Wait, let Naruto finish what he needs to say." Although unwilling to argue with Kakashi, Sakura looked away with an angry pout as she was sure that Naruto would say something idiotic like always.

Staring at Inari with a frown on his face, Naruto spoke, "There are three things which I want to say. One, your father was a hero who did the right thing even though it killed him. Two, you can cry and hide all you want but that will never make things better. Three, you should be glad that you still have people that care for you like your mum and gramps."

Not daring to say anything, Inari simply ran away back into his room. Sighing, Naruto turned his attention to Kakashi and said, "I'll be outside training with Midori-chan."

Nodding in understanding, Kakashi turned his attention to Tsunami and apologized, "I'm sorry if what my student had done upset you in any way."

Shaking her head, Tsunami sadly said, "That's alright. I just hope that with Gatou's death that Inari will finally see that there are things worth hoping and fighting for like what Kaiza-san had said."

It would be later on that same day when Kakashi would tell Inari of Naruto's painful past and how he was able to save Midori, a girl who had suffered just as horribly as he had, despite his shortcomings as a ninja…

Scene Change

The weeks that passed went by like a blur ad the people of Wave realized Gatou's demise due to an unexpected plague-like poison which killed all of his men and sent him to a panic which cause him to fall and die. Although none of the people, with the notable exception of Tazuna and his family, knew how the plague started or why, they knew that they were finally free from Gatou's tyranny. Thankful of what must be some sort of divine intervention, they proceeded to clear away the dead bodies by burning them with the aid of Kakashi's fire-based ninjutsu. After clearing away the dead bodies, they proceeded to loot whatever Gatou had kept on the Land of Wave and used the added resources to both complete the bridge and finally get the food and medicine they desperately needed. Despite Gatou being gone, the Konohagakure ninjas and Midori kept themselves busy as they continued to guard Tazuna and his family while helping out with the bridge construction as well as continue training to become stronger in case they face any actual enemy ninjas. Before long, the bridge was complete and was named "The Great Bridge of Wave"…

Scene Change

"Well, it looks like we'll be going," said Kakashi.

Nodding, Tazuna said, "I cannot thank you and your kids enough. Had it not been for you all, I doubt I would have lived this long let alone to see this bridge finally completed." Despite some people thinking that the bridge was no longer necessary with Gatou gone, Tazuna made it clear that the Land of Waves must never be solely dependent on boats for its economy like before. Considering what happened due to their dependency, it did not require much persuading to get the people to complete the bridge. Had it not been for Kakashi's request that Naruto and Midori's involvement with Gatou's death be kept a secret, Tazuna would have named the bridge the "Great Naruto Bridge" or something similar.

Stepping forward, Tsunami added, "Thank you, all of you, for helping us through. We'll never forget our debt to you." Turning her attention to Naruto and Midori, she added, "Especially to the both of you."

Grinning happily, Naruto turned his attention to Inari who was standing beside his mother and said, "You be a good kid for your mother and gramps, alright?" Not long after Gatou's death, Naruto needed a change of clothes after his favourite jumpsuit was ruined beyond repair due to using his newfound bloodline ability. As such, Naruto ended up wearing the same kind of clothes as Midori, namely rags and loose bandages, with a few extra features including the red spiral symbol sewn onto the back and the Konohagakure forehead protector sewn onto the collar. Midori did not change her clothes although they were much cleaner than before thanks to Tsunami's help. Both she and Naruto also wore fingerless gloves and black sandals.

Nodding, the boy whose temperament and personality improved thanks to understanding and later befriending Naruto and Midori grinned in return and said, "And you better take good care of your girlfriend!" For emphases, Inari showed Naruto the pinkie finger.

Blushing at the boy's cheeky statement, both Naruto and Midori looked bashfully away from one another despite not letting go of each other's hands. Lightly smacking the back of Inari's head, Tsunami mock-scolded, "Stop teasing those two or I will make sure that they know when you finally find yourself a girlfriend!"

Making a disgusted face, Inari said, "No way, girls have cooties!"

While Naruto made a mental note to tease Inari to the next lifetime should he ever gets himself a girlfriend, Midori giggled and said, "There are no such things such as cooties. Trust me, I know."

Although amused by the children's interactions, Kakashi decided to end it before Sasuke and Sakura get impatient and said, "Alright, that's enough you three. We need to return back to Konoha and the sooner we return and sooner I can treat you all with some Ichiraku Ramen."

Hearing the mere mention about ramen from his favourite ramen stand immediately got Naruto's attention as he grinned at his jounin instructor and said, "Then let's get going! I can taste the ramen already!" Holding onto Midori's hand tightly, Naruto quickly ran off while joyously saying goodbye to the people of Wave, especially to Tazuna and his family.

Chuckling at Naruto's response, Kakashi suddenly remembered something which made him pale as he thought, "Damn, I forgot about his appetite when it comes to ramen!"

Scene Change

Sarutobi Hiruzen, an elderly bearded man who is also the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, also formerly known as the God of Shinobi for his unrivalled skills as a ninja during his prime, was gaping like a fish after seeing Naruto's admittedly shocking physical changes and hearing Kakashi's even more unbelievable after-mission report. After all, it is not every day when a freshly-graduated genin went through what Naruto did, or gain a new bloodline which can scare even the infamous Demon of The Mist for that matter. After regaining his composure, he sighed and said, "Well, I can say without a shred of doubt that your mission is unlike any I've ever known in my lifetime." Peering at the nervous Midori who was holding onto Naruto's hand for reassurance, Hiruzen mused, "Still, considering what Naruto had gained, I couldn't be more pleased of the outcome." As one of the few people who honestly care for the boy, Hiruzen was glad that Naruto had finally gained a true friend, and perhaps more. Nevertheless, he would need to make sure that the foolish people who hates the boy for his burden as the container of the Kyuubi no Youko would not be able to force them apart. Considering their unique bloodline which is quite frankly frightening, Hiruzen knew that his rival, Shimura Danzou, would no doubt do anything within his power to claim Midori for his own agenda. Having made his decision, Hiruzen dismissed Sasuke and Sakura and then asked Kakashi, "Tell me, did Naruto use "that" chakra to save himself and Midori?"

Nodding, Kakashi said, "That and Midori also knows the nature of Naruto's burden which by the way had been silent ever since Naruto's transformation although it may still be alive."

Surprised by the revelation, Hiruzen turned his gaze upon Naruto who nervously wondered if he would be angry at him for letting an outsider know about the secret. Noticing the boy's nervous expression, Hiruzen smiled at him reassuringly before he spoke, "Don't worry, I'm not angry at you for letting her know about your burden. In fact, seeing her accept you regardless is far more of a relief for me than you realize." Seeing Naruto and Midori relax, Hiruzen then asked, "Now, tell me everything that you both know about Midori's past."

After Naruto informed the Third Hokage about Midori's terrible past as a lab experiment on her behalf, Hiruzen frowned as he wondered, "Is Orochimaru involved in this? It does sound suspiciously like his handiwork after all." The knowing look which Kakashi gave him as he glanced at the man only reaffirmed Hiruzen's suspicions. Turning his attention to Midori, Hiruzen said, "While I have faith in my ninjas, I would need to have someone look through your memories to confirm everything that Naruto and Kakashi had said about you."

Nodding in understanding, Midori then asked, "So… what happens to me now?"

"To be honest, both you and Naruto would be in for a hard time. Naruto is already hated for his burden and having recently acquired such a terrible bloodline will only make things harder for him. The fact that you have the same bloodline and care for him will make you almost as hated as he is. That is not counting those who would use either one or the both of you as unfeeling weapons." Hearing Hiruzen's last statement made Naruto growl and Midori upset as they have a shared dislike for being treated as such while the elderly man continued to speak, "Due to your circumstances, it is likely that the council will demand that Naruto be taken out of Team Seven and even I doubt I can dissuade them. However, they cannot change the fact that he is a genin of Konohagakure and, should you pass the memory-scans, you will be one as well considering what you are capable of and your contribution to the C-ranked mission."

Naruto did not mind the prospect of being separated from Team Seven as Sasuke had been even more of a "pain in the ass" ever since Gatou's demise while Sakura did everything in her power to support the Uchiha boy which included belittling Naruto and Midori. If he was being honest to himself, Naruto would have preferred being alone over being with those two as they are apparently no better than the people who hate him. Also, there are more pressing issues on his mind as he asked, "Can Midori-chan be a part of my team?"

Smiling, Hiruzen replied, "As a matter of fact, I plan to do just that. Just to be sure, I'll register her as an adopted member of your family as genin are considered adults and thus have rights normal children at your age would not have. This includes the right to adopt children, within reason of course."

Grinning, Naruto thanked the elderly man, "That's great, thanks Hokage-jiji!" Equally glad, Midori smiled and nodded.

Chuckling, Hiruzen dismissed the two so that Midori could settle down at Naruto's apartment. After they left, he turned his attention to Kakashi and asked, "Is there anything that you would like to tell me that you could not tell in front of them?"

Shaking his head, Kakashi said, "No, but I do wonder if the Kyuubi had done anything else to the both of them which we are not fully aware off yet."

Nodding in understanding, Hiruzen said, "Unfortunately, that will require examining the seal and only Jiraiya is capable of such. Also, due to the Kyuubi present, it is risky to have anyone from the Yamanaka clan to look into the boy's mind although it is clear that at least his personality seem intact."

Although he had hoped that they could more to be sure that both children would not be further-affected by the Kyuubi no Youko, Kakashi nodded in understanding and asked, "And what about the council? I doubt even the ninjas clans will stay out of this one."

"There is that, I can only hope that they would know better than discriminate them or use them for their own personal agendas."

"Such as enforced marriages to gain their abilities?" asked Kakashi.

Shaking his head, Hiruzen explained, "While the potential advantages of their new-found bloodline ability are indeed apparent, the danger and potential stigma would make any enforced marriages unlikely. I highly doubt that the prouder clans would never want to associate themselves with people possessing their abilities while the more paranoid ones may demand for their exile or even execution rather than marriage. We can only hope that it would not come down to that."

Sighing, Kakashi swore, "And this is why politics are even less appealing to me than fighting enemy ninjas."

"That is indeed true." Inhaling through his favourite pipe, Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke before he asked, "Putting heavy matters aside, who should we rearrange the teams and what should we call their new ability?"

Scene Change

Meanwhile, Naruto and Midori were eating a meal at one of his most favoured place in all of Konohagakure, Ichirakue Ramen, a humble ramen stand owned by middle-aged man named Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame. The two owners of the ramen stand were listening to Naruto's adventure in Wave and how he met and befriended Midori who will likely inherit his surname before long. While shocked by how Naruto almost died and gained a new ability which actually made an enemy jounin cautious, they were nevertheless glad that he made it out alright, if not entirely the same as before. They were also disturbed when Naruto told them how their bloodline works but were open-minded enough to know that Naruto is still the same ramen-loving boy they always knew. Seeing him almost literally inhale enough ramen to feed several people only reaffirmed that belief.

Speaking about Naruto, they were pleasantly surprised to realize that Midori likes the boy as much as he likes her although it was admittedly not surprising considering that he had saved her. They were also a bit surprised that Naruto respected her preference for fermented foodstuff such as yogurt, miso, natto, cheese and bread, even stale bread. Seeing Midori devouring a cheese and natto sandwich, after having a bowl of ramen of course, the brown-haired and brown-eyed young woman named Ayame had to say, "I know you won't fall sick easily and that you like eating it, Midori-chan, but that sandwich just doesn't look too healthy."

Blinking at Ayame with sticky strands of natto and cheese trailing from her mouth to her sandwich, Midori swallowed before wiping the natto strands staining her mouth and said, "Maybe, but I don't think Naruto-kun's appetite is all that healthy either." Pointing at Naruto who was already eating his twentieth bowl of ramen with her thumb, Midori had made her point.

"There is that," replied Ayame. Naruto's appetite for ramen can put even the generally overweight and ever-hungry Akamaichi clan to shame.

After eating their meal, the two children left the ramen stand and made their way to Naruto's apartment. However, along the way they inevitably drew the attention of the villagers that live in Konohagakure, including the majority that hate Naruto. Literally feeling the burning hateful glares, Midori could not help but fearfully wonder what kind of person Naruto would have become if he did not have people who do care for him. Shaking her head to dispel that unpleasant thought, she then silently swore, "I will help Naruto-kun earn his recognition. It's the least I can do for him."

-Chapter Fin-

Note: Chapter 0 had undergone a minor rewrite as I admit that Naruto's confession about the Kyuubi is indeed a bit fast and made a few improvements. If you like it as much as before the rewrite or more, the rewrite will stay. As for anyone questioning about Sakura's jealously, it can be either because she subconsciously likes/appreciates the boy and is unhappy that she had lost him or because she is jealous that a dead-last like him found reciprocated love while she herself has yet to get any from her Sasuke-kun. Personally, I think it's the latter as she made it clear that she does not like Naruto (at least before she got to know him better but still does not consider him as her beloved) and could not bring herself to kill Sasuke even after realizing just how far he had fallen but to each their own. At any rate, I hope you enjoy the chapter and the changes I made to the Wave mission (which is admittedly anticlimactic).


	3. Chapter 2

**Naruto: Plaguelord of The Leaf**

Disclaimer: This will be a Naruto fanfiction with a bit of a twist involving "Technically Living Zombie" trope and may get AU. With that said, I hope you enjoy this story.

**Chapter 2: New Team and New C-Rank**

Hiruzen sighed as he left the council chamber. As predicted, many of the council members, including a few ninja clans, wanted the immediate exile or extermination of the "demon brat" and his "plague whore". It took every political trick he knew just to make sure that Naruto and Midori are accepted as genins of Konohagakure without getting them involved with Danzo who had wanted to train them into emotionless weapons. Despite having won that battle, Hiruzen would not be surprised that the two children will face many difficulties in the future. Alas, even he cannot completely blame these people for fearing and hating the two children for their abilities.

The Dokusoeki clan is infamous even among the people of Konohagakure as they have been known to engineer diseases that even the strongest of ninja clans fear. One example is the creation of neo-rabies, a virus designed so that various mammals such as bats, mice, dogs, cats and pigs can be infected as well as infect humans. As the Inuzuka clan is a clan that specializes in working together with ninja dogs that they consider as family, using the virus against even one of their dogs during the last Ninja World War earned their eternal fear and hatred towards the Dokusoeki clan. Another example would be the eye-eater worms which are understandably feared to the point of absolute phobia by both the Hyuuga clan which utilize eye-based bloodline abilities, not that any ordinary person would not fear the loss of eyesight. Yet another example is a plague-fungus which can be carried by small insects such as flies and cockroaches to infect unsuspecting individuals and eventually kill them due to aggressive parasitic growth. While they never lost any of their ninjas to the fungus, the Aburame clan, a ninja clan which specializes in controlling insects, especially the beetle-like kikaichuu which live inside their bodies, fear the Dokusoeki clan for what the fungus could do.

The Kaguya clan and Kyuuketsuki clan, while not as hated or feared, were also dangerous in their own ways. By manipulating their bones, the Kaguya clan's bloodline users can create weapons and armour tougher than even steel. Considering that the Kaguya clan are a clan of savage berserkers, it is no surprise that they would use their powers for war and slaughter. The Kyuuketsuki clan on the other hand utilize their blood instead and are noted to be prideful and hedonistic but no less bloodthirsty than the Kaguta clan. By manipulating their blood, they can create weapons, chakra-infused blood-mists, blood clones and even heal from otherwise fatal wounds as well as boost their physical strength and speed to downright superhuman levels. They can also manipulate the blood of others, mostly to consume their shed blood to boost their own abilities, while their most powerful clan members can even use the blood of their enemies against them, turning them into living puppets or using their own shed blood to kill them.

"Seeing how the three bloodlines have come together into a singular bloodline, I suppose there is little else I can do to stop them from fearing the two children," thought Hiruzen with a heavy sigh. Already he had to remove Naruto from Team Seven, not that Naruto will take it too badly if what Kakashi had noted during the mission at the Land of Wave is true, but he knew that the he and Midori will not be able to graduate into chuunin, middle-ranked ninjas, without forming a complete three-man genin team. Naruto and Midori may like each other, a fact that Hiruzen is grateful for, but they still needed a third genin team member and a jounin instructor who are willing to work together with them. He already has an idea of who will be their jounin instructor but getting the third genin teammate is a more complicated issue, not least of which because he doubted many would want to be in the same team as Naruto and Midori. To complicate matters further, Hiruzen knew that the team would be unable to take D-ranked missions like the other teams, not due to a lack of ability but because no one from the village who knows about Naruto and Midori will ever willingly hire them. Determined to help Naruto and Midori, Hiruzen thought, "I'll just have to deal with one problem at a time…"

Scene Change

Two days after their return from Wave, Naruto and Midori were busy training their unique bloodline abilities in an isolated training ground away from other people. As predicted, Naruto did not take it too badly when he was replaced by a peculiar pale-skinned genin named Sai. In fact, he was a bit glad that he was taken out of the team as his relationship with Sakura and Sasuke had been getting worse of late. Of course, trying to defend Midori who gave Sakura a fungal infection that caused mushrooms to harmlessly sprout from her scalp must be one of the reasons why Sakura hated him even more than before. In Midori's defence, Sakura was insulting her and Naruto and so Midori decided to prank her much like what Naruto would have done. Besides, the infection was practically harmless unless you consider having temporary bald spots as harmful.

Midori, bearing the forehead protector of Konohagakure sewn onto the collar of her rags, was busy learning how to use the spores of her mushroom growths as a weapon against enemy ninjas while a half-naked Naruto was practicing his chakra control by learning how to walk over water. Having learnt that Naruto can improve his ability to consume poisons and diseases, thereby enabling collateral damage control, Kakashi had taught Naruto how to walk over water not long after he learnt how to vertically walk on trees. The fact that finer chakra control will also enable Naruto to use more abilities with his bloodline made the boy even more determined to master water walking. Midori also learnt tree walking and water walking alongside with Naruto and, having better chakra control, was able to master both skills faster than the boy or Sasuke although her control is not as finely tuned as Sakura. That said, Sakura has the lowest chakra reserves while Midori surprisingly has much more chakra than Sasuke although not as much as Naruto's own reserves.

Stepping onto the water, Naruto grinned as he felt that he was walking on a "solid" surface. Taking another step, Naruto knew that he had finally grasped the basics of water walking when he heard someone yell, "Hey, are you two Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Midori?"

Looking up, Naruto and Midori saw a young woman with purple hair tied into a spiky ponytail, brown eyes and wearing a tan jacket over a mesh bodysuit, a miniskirt and a forehead protector to show that she is a ninja of Konohagakure. Staring at her inappropriate manner of dress, Naruto was well aware that she was not wearing a bra as he replied, "Yeah, that's us. Who are you?"

Smirking, the young woman replied, "The name is Mitarashi Anko and I'll be your sexy and awesome jounin instructor so you brats better remember it!"

Blinking, Naruto then grinned as he realized what was going on, "You mean that we are all a team?" In his excitement, Naruto lost control and ended up sinking like a rock.

Nodding in confirmation, Anko replied, "That I am, so you brats better be ready for some pain because I'll be training you two into the ground."

Grinning despite the embarrassing sinking, Naruto whooped in joy while Midori smiled hopefully at him and thought, "I hope she's nice like Kakashi-san." Suddenly, Midori had a thought as she asked, "Do we have a third genin teammate, Anko-san?"

Turning her attention to Midori, Anko replied, "First of all, I'm too young to be called Anko-san. Just call me Anko-sensei or even Anko-neesan. As for your question, no, we don't have a third genin team member."

Slumping slightly, Naruto mumbled, "I see…"

Seeing Naruto's mood, Anko knew that Naruto was desperate for friends but, with his status as the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko as well as the inheritor of the three most infamous bloodlines known in the entire Ninja World, Anko knew that his chances are slim at best. Still, the boy had managed to earn the respect of Momochi Zabuza as well as acknowledgement from the people of Wave so that should count for something. Leaping off from the tall tree branch she was standing on, Anko sauntered towards the children while Naruto swam to shore.

After settling down, Anko introduced herself, "Alright brats, you already know my name so I won't bother repeating it. My likes are sweet bean soup, dango and sake and my hobbies are tea ceremonies. I dislike spicy food and I hate traitors as well as people who judge me unfairly. I don't really have any dream in particular at the moment but I do want to get even with a certain traitorous bastard for making me suffer."

Hearing Anko's introduction, Midori curiously asked, "You want revenge like Sasuke?" Naruto had told her about Sasuke's ambition and even overheard Sasuke swearing that he will become strong enough to kill "that man".

Blinking at Midori's query, Anko waved her hand dismissively and replied, "Not that I'm above wanting to stick my entire collection of pointy dango sticks up that bastard's ass, but I'm not a revenge-obsessed emo like that Uchiha kid." Looking at the girl, Anko added, "And since you asked, you introduce yourself first."

Satisfied with Anko's response, Midori the introduced herself, "My name is Uzumaki Midori. I don't really remember how my life was like before I got sick and I don't really want to think about my past before I met Naruto-kun. I like Naruto-kun and I like eating bread, yogurt, cheese, natto, miso, seaweed agar, and even rotten meat. I dislike people who judge others without actually knowing them and I hate people who enjoy being cruel to others. My dream is to live a happy life and help Naruto-kun achieve his dream."

Looking at the girl, Anko had to ask, "Okay, I got to ask, when exactly you ate rotten meat?"

"Well, there were some stores that were selling rotting meat back in Wave so…"

Raising her hand, Anko quickly said, "On second thought, forget that I asked!" Turning her attention to Naruto, she said, "Okay, Whiskers, you're next!"

Grinning, Naruto introduced himself, "The name's Uzumaki Naruto! I like Midori-chan, gardening and my favourite food in the whole world, ramen! I dislike the three minutes it takes to cook ramen, fresh vegetables and the same things which Midori-chan dislikes. My dream is to be Hokage and earn everyone's acknowledgement, believe it!"

Rubbing her chin, Anko thought, "Hokage-sama was right that those two will work together quite beautifully, at least as long as their emotions don't interfere with the mission." Having decided that she might just be able to get along with the two children, Anko said, "Okay, I have already heard from Hokage-sama about your new bloodline abilities and about Whisker's "fuzzy problem" so I won't bother asking you two about them other than what they can do to help us during our missions. On the other hand, I do have something to tell you kids about myself. Normally, I wouldn't bother speaking about it to brats, including you two, but our next mission might be a C-rank that will involve my past so I'll rather save myself the trouble of telling you two about my sob story while on a mission by doing it now." Curious, the two children listened to Anko as she continued, "I was a former student of a traitor of Konohagakure, Orochimaru, who was responsible for committing horrible experiments to bring back long-lost bloodlines like the First Hokage's revered Mokuton bloodline." Hearing the name of the man and what he had done made Midori flinch, an action which both Naruto and Anko noticed as the young woman spoke, "And unless me and Hokage-sama are mistaken, THAT traitorous snake-bastard is probably, if not definitely, involved in whatever made you sick until Whiskers found you. Because I was his student, whom he threw away after he betrayed the village, I have been hated by almost everyone ever since. Hell, he even marked me with his damned seal which I will probably have to live with for the rest of my life." To prove her point, Anko showed Naruto and Midori her left shoulder which bore a seal that her former teacher branded onto her.

While she never met Orochimaru in person, she knew about his name as her "caretakers" would often mention his name and even she knew that he has a higher rank than them. The fact that the man was trying to revive ninja bloodlines, including the bloodlines she had unwilling inherited, only made him all the more terrifying in her point of view. Seeing Midori's unease, Naruto reached out and held her hand to comfort her. Feeling his hand, Midori glanced at him and smiled gratefully before Anko ruined the moment by cheekily asking, "Are you two going to kiss? Because I'm most definitely cool with seeing you two go at it!"

Blushing, Naruto sputtered, "A-Anko-sensei!" Equally embarrassed, Midori shyly looked away.

Cackling at their mortified expressions, Anko said, "Well, now that we got the introductions done, we'll start your training soon. But first…" Taking out a large book, she explained, "This is a textbook for medic-ninjas. I don't think I need to explain how learning about medicine and human anatomy will help you two master your new bloodline abilities." Both children nodded as they both knew the merit of learning from the textbook. Grinning, Anko shoved the book onto Midori's hands and said, "Good! Since you have better chakra control than Whiskers, I'm expecting you to at least know the basics before we start our C-ranked mission."

"You seem awfully sure that we'll get another C-rank," noted Naruto. While eager for more awesome missions, even he knew better than to wish for another life-and-death mission anytime soon.

"I'm not going to lie to you kids. The chances of you two receiving a D-rank are pretty much next to zero because of your shared bloodline abilities and Naruto's "fuzzy problem" and having me as your jounin instructor will not make it any easier."

Hearing Anko's sombre explanation, both Naruto and Midori sighed as they knew that she was right. The hateful glares Naruto had received had gotten even worse than before and as most D-ranked missions tend to be within the confines of the village with the local villagers as clients, getting employed for the missions is indeed unlikely to happen. The fact that Midori and Anko are hated as well only made employment by the local villagers for D-ranks all the more unlikely. Seeing their crestfallen moods, Anko said, "Hey, stop being so damn mopey you two! Sure we can't do D-ranks but it's not like they're all that great to begin with." Naruto snickered slightly in response to Anko's last statement as he knew from experience that the D-ranks are indeed not incredible missions he can boast about. Still, while he would not miss doing the boring D-ranks, which include painting fences, weeding gardens, and even grocery delivery, he felt disheartened by the fact that almost none of the villagers will trust him even for those simple missions.

"Anyway, before we start, I just want you two to know that Hokage-sama decided to call your bloodline ability the "Zombie Release"."

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto asked, "Zombie Release?"

Shrugging, Anko said, "Something to do with your bloodline abilities being related to old horror stories about the undead such as zombies and the like." Seeing the connection, neither Naruto nor Midori argued as they proceeded to receive their training from Anko…

Scene Change

Naruto and Midori were supporting each other as they staggered towards Ichiraku Ramen for dinner, their rags and bandages even more ragged than before due to Anko's uncanny aim with her senbon and her sadistic glee as she made them run for their dear lives. Naruto's plague-clones could only slow her down to a limited extent as she was willing to use fire-based techniques which are actually effective in destroying the poisonous miasma. It was also during the "training session" when both Naruto and Midori realize that they can heal much faster than normal as their wounds closed quickly after removing the senbon. Anko also confirmed their resistance to poisons as they were unaffected by poisoned senbon which would have incapacitated even an elephant. Shuddering slightly at the memory of being chased around by the apparent madwoman, both Naruto and Midori prayed that she would not treat them like living targets during an actual mission. If she does, who needs enemy ninjas when they have someone like Anko as their jounin instructor?

Ayame and Teuchi were running business as usual when they saw Naruto and Midori arrive. Concerned, Ayame asked, "Oh my goodness, what happened to you two?"

"Anko's our new jounin instructor," groused Naruto.

Hearing the woman's name, Teuchi sighed in understanding as he beckoned them to take their seats and said, "Say no more, your first bowls are on the house."

Having heard about the crazy tokubetsu jounin, a chuunin with jounin-level specialities, Ayame sighed as she realized that the rumours about Anko being crazy are apparently at least partially true. Looking at the two exhausted children, Ayame asked, "So, is she as crazy as the rumours say?"

Placing his head onto the counter, Naruto groused, "If you mean being a sadistic lady who is bloodthirsty, almost literally, then yes. Her idea of training us is making us run all over the training ground while throwing senbon and breathing fireballs at us!"

Wincing at the mental image of the terrifying training session, Ayame decided not to ask any further about their training with Anko when Iruka appeared. He had heard about Naruto's new condition and his new friend and had wanted to see them since the day before but his responsibilities had delayed him. Seeing the boy who now had pale-blond hair and deathly-grey skin, Iruka only hoped that he is still the same boy he had risked his own life to save on the day Naruto suffered his third failure to graduate from the Academy. Noticing the approaching man with a scar running across his nose and brown hair tied into a ponytail, Naruto immediately recognized him and called out, "Hey, Iruka-sensei!"

Seeing his former academy student's happy grin and boisterous attitude, Iruka resisted the urge to grin too widely in relief that Naruto was apparently unchanged by his first C-ranked mission, at least the parts that truly counted. Waving his hand, Iruka greeted back, "Hey Naruto. I heard that you changed quite a bit after your first C-rank and that you have gotten yourself a new friend." Taking a seat beside the boy, he asked, "Care to give me the details?"

Scene Change

After Naruto told Iruka about his adventure in Wave and how he had been assigned to a new team, the chuunin academy instructor asked, "Just to get the facts right, your shadow clones now become poisonous miasma upon dispelling and you both can consume your own miasma with no ill effect. In addition, you can generate bone spikes and armour as well as, in Midori's case, produce mushrooms with poisonous spores and tumours filled with poisonous sacs. Did I get them right?"

Grinning, Naruto exclaimed, "Yup!"

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Iruka then said, "While I can say without a doubt that your skills will be extremely useful in defeating your enemies, and playing pranks if Midori's recent deed is anything to go by, you will have to be very careful not to actually harm your own teammates or clients by accident."

Nodding in understanding, Naruto replied, "Yeah, both Kakashi-sensei and even Anko-sensei warned us about hurting the wrong people with our abilities." Not long after Gatou's death, Kakashi made it clear that the shadow clones are originally made to deceive enemies, collect information and to enable multitasking. While Naruto's plague clones can accomplish all three tasks, the fact that they explode in a cloud of poisonous miasma upon dispelling means that they are unreliable as guards as the poison could end up harming whoever the clones are protecting. The only way to resolve the problem is to have Midori consume the miasma before it can cause any unintentional casualties as even medic ninjas can be poisoned or fall ill should they be exposed to the miasma.

"Nevertheless, be careful. You two are already infamous as you both are and we certainly don't need giving the people that hate you even more reason to do so." Turning his attention to Midori, Iruka smiled at the girl and said, "That aside, I'm glad that you became Naruto's friend."

Wearing an uneasy expression, Midori asked timidly, "You're… not upset that I almost killed him and made him like me?"

Shaking his head, Iruka said, "I know better than to hate someone who did not mean to hurt anyone, especially if they are not in control of their own actions."

Reassured by his statement and smile, Midori smiled gratefully as she listened to Naruto and Iruka talking about the latest gossip in Konohagakure including what had happened to his former classmates…

Scene Change

Later that night, Naruto and Midori slept in his rundown apartment with the girl snuggling closely to Naruto. As they slept, Naruto finally met a certain furry acquaintance. Opening his eyes, Naruto realized that he was in a familiar sewer and knew where he was. Looking at the cage bars, Naruto yelled, "Hey Kyuubi, you still alive in there?"

Groaning, a pair of gigantic red eyes with slits for pupils glared at Naruto and growled, "Well, it looks like I won't need to kill you in the afterlife after all, brat." Looking more closely, Naruto realized that the Kyuubi has changed as well as bone armour now covers his otherwise furry body including a skull-like helmet, vertebrae-like plates which run along his back until his nine furry tails, a ribcage-like armour on his chest as well as bony plates on his joints including his clawed hands. Not intimidated by the tailed beast's irritation despite its new appearance, which also feature a double-row of sharp teeth, Naruto grinned and said, "It's a good thing you're still alive, Fuzzball. I still haven't got the chance to thank you for saving our asses back there."

Peering at the boy, the Kyuubi asked, "You are aware that I only did it so save myself, right?"

Shrugging, Naruto replied, "Maybe but you never needed to save Midori-chan so that still counts."

Realizing that Naruto had a point, the Kyuubi grunted in begrudging understanding before speaking, "Since you're already here, I might as well as inform you about your new bloodline which you now share with that girl."

Now interested, Naruto almost jumped about excitedly as he asked, "Really, so what do you know about our powers?"

"For starters, both of you brats possess FOUR different bloodline abilities which have somehow merged harmoniously into a single bloodline, which is nothing short of a bloody miracle mind you!"

Naruto impatiently asked, "So what are the four abilities then?"

Growling in mild displeasure at being interrupted, thus silencing Naruto, the Kyuubi then explained, "As you two brats should already know, the first ability is the ability to create, store, and utilize poisons, diseases and parasites. This includes your now-poisonous chakra, prions, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi, mites, lice and worms."

Blinking, Naruto sheepishly admitted, "Could you repeat that? I couldn't understand half the stuff you mentioned."

Sighing in aggravation, the Kyuubi ignored Naruto's request as he continued, "Moving on, your second ability is to grow and manipulate your bones. This means that you can create spikes, alter the properties of your bones such as their density, create duplicates of your bones and even create bony growths in your bodies. The third ability was originally the ability to manipulate blood. However, due to genetic corruption from fusing so many bloodlines together, the most you and that girl can do is to manipulate your flesh to create tumours, alter your muscles and organs as well as heal faster for injury. Besides that, you and that girl have the new ability to control poisons, parasites and diseases by sheer willpower alone, an ability which is similar to the Kyuuketsuki clan's blood-bending ability."

Recognizing all three abilities, Naruto asked, "So, what's the fourth one?"

"The fourth bloodline ability is one which you already have brat, the famous stamina and vitality of the Uzumaki clan."

Shocked, Naruto asked, "Wait, are you saying that I come from a clan?"

Not surprised that the boy would not know, and not because of his lack of intellect but rather because no one talks about the clan these days, the Kyuubi explained, "I did not call you here to talk about your long-lost clan so you can forget about me telling you about it. You'll just have to ask that Third Hokage of yours for answers." While unhappy at being denied of immediate information, Naruto nevertheless chose not to argue as the Kyuubi explained further, "Because of their stamina and vitality, the Uzumaki clan have unusually long lives and can utilize chakra-expensive techniques such as your shadow clones and their chakra chains, one of the few techniques which can restrain mighty demons like myself… which I will NOT be teaching you!"

Not surprised that the Kyuubi would refuse to teach him how to create the said chains, Naruto instead asked, "So does Midori-chan have the same bloodline I have now?"

Nodding, the Kyuubi replied, "Indeed but there are limitations to your new bloodline. Unlike the original Dokusoeki clan, you cannot produce poisons, parasites and diseases which can actually kill you or cause permanent harm to your own bodies. Of course, given your natural resistance thanks to your bloodlines, what won't harm you may easily kill another, especially a non-ninja, not to mention that I highly doubt you or that girl wish to die anytime soon."

Curious, Naruto asked, "Why the heck would they want to create something that could kill them too?"

Glaring at Naruto, the Kyuubi asked, "Do you want me to continue?"

"Hey, I was just curious!" was Naruto's petulant argument.

Snorting derisively, the Kyuubi replied, "In case you haven't noticed yet, your naïve curiosity and generosity almost killed you on your first C-ranked mission!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Naruto confidently argued, "So? Things turned out just fine in the end!"

"So says the "Demon Brat" who is now a "Plague Demon"."

Hurt by the Kyuubi's words, Naruto nevertheless said, "Then I'll just have to work my ass off even harder to prove myself to the village, believe it!"

Sighing at the boy's conviction, the Kyuubi growled, "Fine, the reason why they would make diseases, parasites and poisons so dangerous that even their own immune systems could fail is because it ensures that it is as close to incurable as it can possibly get. Also, they have a twisted sense of happiness which makes them actually want to spread their diseases to others, the more incurable even by their standards the better."

"…Are your saying Anko-sensei-twisted or something else?"

Almost smirking at the apparent example of having a sadistic sense of happiness, the Kyuubi was a little less begrudging as he answered, "The latter. Those humans were, for the lacking of a better term, despairing to the point that they somehow found acceptance and joy in their own suffering simply because they know that life will not get worse once they hit the lowest point possible."

Shocked, Naruto asked, "Why the heck will anyone be happy with that?"

Shrugging, the Kyuubi replied, "How should I know? I'm an immortal demon whose very presence can bring terror and despair. If I have to guess, it probably has something to do with all those poisons, diseases and parasites addling their puny brains. At any rate, we are getting off topic here and I would like to keep this meeting short. Besides the mentioned limitation of being unable to produce poisons, diseases and parasites so potent that not even your immune systems can handle them, you can only produce the types which affect humans although they can be made to affect other life forms as well."

Seeing the boy nod in understanding, the Kyuubi continued, "For your second limitation, you cannot create massive walls, prisons or even forests of bones unlike the Kaguya clan's more powerful bloodline users. The most you two brats can accomplish would be to cover yourselves completely bone armour as well as create crude bone weapons which you must somehow pull out of your own bodies if you want to use them as hand-held weapons such as a sword. As stated before, you cannot manipulate blood although there may be exceptions later on when you and that girl bear descendants although I doubt even they can accomplish the ability to manipulate other people's blood. Finally, all three abilities require large chakra reserves which the Uzumaki clan is famous for."

After listening to the Kyuubi's explanation, Naruto had to ask, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Is keeping my sorry excuse of a jailer alive, thereby keeping myself alive as well, sufficient enough a reason?"

Frowning at the Kyuubi's bitter response, Naruto argued, "Hey, I didn't exactly ask the Fourth Hokage to seal your furry ass into me so stop blaming me for being your prison!"

"Would you stop blaming me for your years of pain?" asked the Kyuubi.

Blinking, Naruto then thought for a moment before he decided his answer, "Sure, if you stop being such a damned jerk all the time just because you're stuck in me."

Surprised, the Kyuubi asked, "You would actually choose to stop hating me?"

"Well, it's not like you didn't have a point when you said that the people of this village chose to hate me despite what the Fourth Hokage told them not to. Besides, just because I don't hate you anymore doesn't mean that I'll stop dreaming about kicking your fuzzy ass to prove to everyone how awesome I am."

The Kyuubi's eye twitched in annoyance as he growled, "I am SO going to enjoy killing you when I get out of this damned prison!"

Grinning, Naruto boasted, "Not under my watch, Fuzzball, believe it!"

"And here I was, almost acknowledging the fact that the brat chose to help someone at his own expense rather than just save his own miserable life and leave that girl to die…" thought the demon fox…

Scene Change

"… and that's when I woke up with Midori-chan suckling onto my neck in her sleep," explained Naruto as he informed Hiruzen, Anko and Midori about his encounter with the Kyuubi no Youko. Midori blushed at the last part of his statement while Hiruzen and Anko gave her amused looks. Looking at Hiruzen expectantly, Naruto asked, "So, is it really true that I come from a clan?"

Digesting the boy's words, Hiruzen then said, "Yes, you do come from a long-lost clan known as the Uzumaki clan. As the Kyuubi had stated, your clan are renowned for their large chakra reserves, stamina and vitality. Unfortunately, most of your clan died out during the last Ninja World War." Seeing the boy deflate at the unfortunate news, Hiruzen added, "However, there may be survivors of your clan scattered throughout the world but be aware that they would likely keep their identities secret so as to avoid the complete extinction of their clan."

Heartened by Hiruzen's words, Naruto proclaimed, "Then I'll just have to do lots of missions outside the village to find them all and rebuild it into an awesome clan, believe it!"

Shaking his head at Naruto's exuberant response with a smile on his face, Hiruzen pondered about information provided by the Kyuubi, "Assuming that what the Kyuubi had said is true, I may be able to convince everyone that they are less dangerous that the original users of the originally separate bloodline abilities. Still, the idea that the Dokusoeki clan are generally mentally ill to the point of gleeful madness does explain a number of their otherwise suicidal tactics such as making themselves sick from their own abilities." Gazing at the grinning boy, Hiruzen said, "While the Kyuubi no Youko had indeed provided some rather enlightening information as well as spoken the truth about the Uzumaki clan, I would advise caution when listening to it. Also, you would need to be careful when finding your lost clansmen as the Uzumaki clan has its fair share of bitter enemies."

Nodding in understanding, Naruto replied, "I won't let myself be tricked by the fox, that's a promise of a lifetime!"

Satisfied with the boy's response, Hiruzen said, "That aside, I have a C-rank mission for your team."

Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto eagerly asked, "What's our mission going to be, Hokage-jiji?"

While Anko mentally snickered at Hiruzen's given nickname from Naruto, the elderly man replied, "There have been rumours about a sea monster attacking boats and killing people at the Land of Sea. I want you and your team to go and investigate the matter alongside with a man that I deeply trust starting from tomorrow. Therefore I need your team to be fully provisioned with travelling and combat supplies for the trip by today." Anko frowned at the mention of the place as it happens to be one of the many locations where Orochimaru does his horrible experiments and is also the place where she was branded and later discarded by the man. The hidden knowing look that Hiruzen gave her only confirmed her suspicions as she can imagine the actual mission, "Due to recent revelations concerning Midori, and Naruto by extension, I am assigning your team along with a man that I deeply trust, namely Jiraiya, to investigate the Land of Sea. If successful, he would be able to find more information about him and his experiments while the rest of you investigate the rumours."

Pumping his fists into the air, Naruto excitedly exclaimed, "Alright, C-ranked mission, here we come!"

Hiding her actual feelings of displeasure, Anko invited Naruto and Midori to do some shopping with her for travelling provisions after the team, officially known as Team Anko, accepted the mission…

Scene Change

Anko sighed in both relief and frustration as she and her team were finally done with their shopping. As expected, no one wanted to serve the three "diseased outcasts" of Konohagakure and she had to threaten practically every shopkeeper they met just to get their shopping done. Exhausted from their ordeal which took them the whole day just to get it done and over with, she and the two children decided to have dinner at Ichiraku Ramen as it is apparently the only place that treats them fairly. Sipping her tea, Anko mournfully thought, "I just hope I can still eat my dango. I don't know what I'll do if they start refusing to serve me!"

Equally exhausted, especially emotionally considering the hateful glares and words they have received, Naruto and Midori were just glad that they even managed to finish getting all the provisions they need including sealing scrolls, weapons and food. They were also thankful that Anko was around or else they would never have been able to get the necessary supplies and saw the advantages of being able to terrify other people into submission, a fact that Anko took pride in.

"Anko, what are you doing here?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Anko turned to face a red-eyed young woman with untamed black hair and red lipstick. Walking beside her was another young woman with purple hair and chocolate-brown eyes. Recognizing them to be Yuuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yuugao, Anko waved at her and said, "Hey, Nai-chan, Yuu-chan. I just got done with the bitchiest shopping run in my whole damned life!"

Raising an eyebrow, red-eyed young woman named Kurenai asked, "Really?" As one of Anko's few friends, Kurenai knows for a fact that no one usually dares to anger her as she is well versed in both assassination and torture not to mention that she is shamelessly proud of being able to scare people. She then noticed the two children and said, "And here I was thinking that Yuugao was joking when she said that you have gotten yourself a pair of genin students. You haven't traumatized them too badly yet, have you?"

Smirking, Anko replied, "Yeah, they're my brats and no, I have yet to actually molest them if that's what you mean." Kurenai rolled her eyes at that comment.

Looking at the two children, Kurenai thought, "So Naruto really did undergo a drastic change after his first C-ranked mission. While I would normally say that it is a good thing that he had not been crippled, killed or became a crueller person after the mission, I highly doubt that Hinata will be happy with what has happened to him." Seeing Midori hold onto Naruto while staring cautiously at Kurenai and Yuugao, the red-eyed woman silently added, "No, she most definitely will not."

"So, do you two want to join us or are you going to just stand there gawking at my brats? I could loan them to you for the night if you want."

Sighing at Anko's teasing statement, Yuugao replied as she and Kurenai took their seats, "Actually we were looking for you for join us for dinner and a drink. Kurenai-san just came back from a C-ranked mission with her students."

Perking up at the mention about a mission his former classmates have undertaken, Naruto eagerly asked, "You mean the mission of finding a bandit gang's secret hideout?" He heard about it from Iruka.

Nodding, Kurenai replied, "The one and the same. They have done very well in locating the hideout without getting noticed and I would have immediately treated them with dinner had it not been for the fact that it was already late when we returned and that they were all tired from their mission." As she spoke, she took note of Naruto's changed appearance which quite frankly disturbed her a little as it reminded her of a corpse, albeit a very lively and friendly one.

Grinning, Naruto asked, "It must have been an awesome mission like the one I had with…" His grin fell as he recalled that he was no longer a member of Team Seven. Noticing his crestfallen expression, Midori held him more closely to both comfort him and as a silent apology for being the cause of his recent problems despite his assurances that none of them were her fault. Comforted by her embrace, Naruto smiled at her and said, "Thanks, Midori-chan."

Seeing their interaction, Anko, Kurenai and Yuugao knew that they are pretty much inseparable, which is normally a good thing unless you happen to know a girl who has a crush the size of the Kyuubi no Youko on Naruto. Kurenai had to actively conceal her growing worry as she thought, "How will Hinata take it?" The last thing she would ever want is Hinata despairing to the point of taking her own life or attempting to murder Midori or even both.

Noticing Kurenai's concealed worry Anko knew not to ask as she knew about Kurenai's female student and her crush on Naruto. Unlike Sasuke's fangirls who are only interested in his good looks and talent as a ninja, although he does have an admittedly tragic past which only made them even more infatuated with him despite his apparent lack of interest, Hinata's crush on Naruto is more sincere as she considers him as an inspiration to be strong and brave even when faced with great difficulty. Despite her feelings, Hinata did not dare to confess to the formerly-blond boy due to her timidly shy fear of rejection, a trait only made worse by the abuse she suffers from her own family, the Hyuuga clan. Prior to the mission that changed Naruto, Hinata still had a chance to be his love due to the lack of competition as no girl in her age group showed any interest in him, not even Sakura who Naruto had a crush on. However, with Midori around, Hinata's chances of finally earning his love is slim at best especially due to the fact that Naruto likes the pale-green girl as well. Thinking about the possible conflict that will come between the two girls as well as the involvement of the Hyuuga clan who is strongly opposed to Midori and Naruto due to their bloodline abilities, even Anko had to quietly admit, "It would not end well…"

Scene Change

Meanwhile, as Naruto ate his dinner with the others, Hiruzen was speaking to a middle-aged man with white hair, a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "oil" written onto it as well as a large scroll tied onto his back, "Is there any information from your spy network which implies of the experiments that Orochimaru have done which made Midori the way she was before Naruto found her?"

Shaking his head, the man known as Jiraiya replied, "No, but I wouldn't be surprised if Orochimaru is involved with the experiments that made her that way. I mean, we're talking about a man who wants to master every kind of ninjutsu there is in the world and powerful bloodline abilities which even the Sharingan cannot copy definitely count. What I'm worried about is the seal which may have changed due to Naruto's transformation."

Nodding in understanding, Hiruzen said, "There is indeed that particular problem to contend with. Be sure to check on his seal while you're with him on that mission."

Snorting, Jiraiya exclaimed, "I would have done so even if you discouraged me from doing it!"

Smiling in approval at the man that was once his genin student, Hiruzen added, "I also want you to train those two children while on the mission. They will need all the training and help they can get to overcome the difficulties they will face ahead."

Raising an eyebrow, Jiraiya had to ask, "You mean like teaching Naruto the rasengan?"

"Not necessarily, although I'm sure that his now-poisonous chakra will make the technique even deadlier than before." Jiraiya had to agree with Hiruzen's statement as the elderly man continued, "What is more important is teaching them how to fight and defend themselves without using their abilities so that they will not be too disadvantaged when faced with a situation whereby using their abilities could end up harming a comrade or an innocent. Teaching them how to better control their abilities will help to reduce that risk even further."

Nodding in understanding and agreement, Jiraiya said, "Alright, I'll train the brats in any way I can but you'll need specialists in taijutsu and weapons if you really want them to be able to defend themselves without necessarily using their bloodline abilities. Hell, I'm not even sure how their abilities will affect elemental jutsu or even genjutsu if Naruto's new Plague Clones is anything to go by."

"While I do agree with you that they will need to improve their skills in taijutsu and weapons to minimize their reliance on their abilities, finding the said specialists would be a problem. Might Guy already has a genin team of his own and, with the upcoming chuunin exams, having him train genin from outside his own team just won't do. As for weapons training, I'm sure that Anko would be happy to train them how to use throwing weapons such as senbon but they will need to know how to use melee weapons as well."

"Well, you would always get your ANBU to train them. I mean, even the weakest among them know at least basic kenjutsu," suggested Jiraiya.

"I suppose that's a start," agreed Hiruzen…

Scene Change

"Can you really cure Hayate?" asked Yuugao.

Having earlier heard about Yuugao's lover, Gekkou Hayate, who is suffering from an illness that was later revealed to be incurable, Midori offered to help by "devouring" the said illness. Nodding, the girl said, "I could try."

More cautious about the idea, Kurenai said, "While I'm all for curing Gekkou-san of his illness, we'll need medics to be available just in case anything happens during the process. Besides, consuming a disease from a human body is not the same as consuming poisonous miasma from the air not to mention that the girl has only just started reading that book let alone undergo any actual training to become a medic-nin and will be taking on a C-ranked mission tomorrow."

While a little unhappy of being unable to have her lover cured immediately, Yuugao knew that Kurenai has a point and gazed at Midori pleadingly a she spoke, "Will you be able to help him before the upcoming chuunin exams?"

"Wait, chuunin exams, as in the exams to become a chuunin?" asked Naruto.

"The one and only, it's still a few months away though so stop being so excited about it!" said Anko.

Grinning, Naruto imagined himself easily passing the exams and becoming a chuunin before proceeding to become a jounin and finally a Hokage. Seeing his happy grin, Anko decided to smack him on the head to get his mind back into reality while Midori answered Yugao's question, "Maybe, but Yuuhi-san does have a point. Perhaps you can ask Hokage-san about it, Uzuki-san."

Smiling hopefully, Yuugao said, "I will. Hayate has been living with that illness ever since the end of the last Ninja World War and none of our remaining medics could cure him."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Midori-chan can do it, believe it!" said Naruto. Before long, it was time to end their dinner conversation as the two children and their tokubetsu jounin instructor prepared themselves for their upcoming mission…

Scene Change

On the following day, Naruto, Midori and Anko waited for their fourth member whom Hiruzen explained will stand out like a sore thumb once he decides to show himself. Suddenly, just as it was time for the person to arrive, a plume of smoke erupted before the team. Quickly morphing their hands into bony claws with elongated nails tipped with poison, both Naruto and Midori were surprised when they saw Jiraiya appear as he did a kabuki stance and dramatically said, "Never fear, for the gallant Toad Sage of Konohagakure is here!"

Blinking owlishly at the man who did a rather dramatic entrance, and introduction, the two children were unsure how to act as Anko sighed and said, "Great, just as I expected, the pervert sage is here."

Surprised, Midori asked, "Pervert sage?"

Pointing her thumb at an increasingly indignant Jiraiya, Anko explained, "Let's just say that he's definitely a legendarily strong ninja but he's also a bloody pervert I have to drive off every time he peeps at the women's bath while I'm around and he writes pornography, which are pretty good actually."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jiraiya said, "Well of course my writing is good! How else can you correctly describe my Icha Icha series? Also, I'm not peeping, I'm doing research for my books!"

Gaping, Naruto pointed at Jiraiya and said, "Wait, you write those orange books Kakashi-sensei and even Hokage-jiji reads? You really are a perverted sage!"

Laughing, Jiraiya exclaimed, "No, I'm no pervert, I'm a super-pervert!"

Despite not knowing Jiraiya for even five minutes, Midori already has an instinctive desire to give the middle-aged man a bad case of fungal infection at his privates while Naruto mentally swore that he would kick Jiraiya's ass with a spike-armoured boot if he ever dares to peep at Midori while she's undressed. Seeing their disapproving expressions, Anko thought, "Well, it could always be worse I guess."

-Chapter Fin-

Note: Sorry for not posting any of my stories sooner. I took a holiday from my job and got pretty dang lazy as a result. Hopefully fans of this story will like this chapter.


	4. Chapter 3

**Naruto: Plaguelord of The Leaf**

Disclaimer: This will be a Naruto fanfiction with a bit of a twist involving "Technically Living Zombie" trope and may get AU. With that said, I hope you enjoy this story.

**Chapter 3: Land of Sea and Mission Aftermath**

Not long after Jiraiya introduced himself to Anko's team, and received the title Ero-Sennin from Naruto, the four individuals left Konohagakure and travelled to the Land of Sea. During their travel, both Naruto and Midori continued to train and learnt that, despite being a self-proclaimed super-pervert, Jiraiya was one of the Legendary Sannin of Konohagakure for a reason as he was indeed a powerful ninja. Teaching them how not to be overly reliant on their Zombie Release abilities with Anko's help, Jiraiya was able to help improve their taijutsu while Anko taught them how to use their throwing weapons more effectively. Both Naruto and Midori also continued to practice their chakra control to help fully master their Zombie Release abilities as they travelled to the Land of Sea…

Scene Change

Upon arrival at the land of waves, a cluster of several islands with the Mother Island as the main island, the team set off towards Jiro Island, one of the three islands close to the Mother Island and the very same island where Mitarashi Anko was branded by Orochimaru. As the attacks often occurred at Mother Island and the other three surrounding islands, neither Naruto nor Midori suspected that Jiraiya wanted to investigate Jiro Island first for the sake of uncovering one of Orochimaru's hidden lairs.

"Well, this is the part where we part ways for a while. You brats stay with your sexy sensei while I go to the other parts of the island for any clues about the Kaima's attacks." Having gotten directions from Anko, Jiraiya could find the lair on his own while Anko and her genin team continue with their official mission.

Wearing a foxy grin, Naruto said, "Be sure not to piss of the ladies, Ero-Sennin!"

Scowling at Naruto's given advice, Jiraiya muttered as he left, "Brats these days…"

After Jiraiya left, Anko and her two genin decided to ask around in the port about the mysterious sea monster which the sailors have fearfully dubbed as the Kaima, the Sea Demon. What the three did not expect were the people on the island glaring at them and muttering about "more bandaged freaks" as they walked by to ask around. As both Naruto and Midori were dressed mostly in rags and bandages, it was obvious that the people were talking about them and could not help but realize that they are being just about as spiteful and hateful as the people of Konohagakure have been. Curious, Naruto decided to ask, "Say, Anko-sensei, do you think we can ask around and look for whoever these people are muttering about who dresses like us?"

Seeing the concern in his eyes, Anko sighed and said, "I suppose we can spend a bit of time finding him. It's not like we're getting much info from these people about the Kaima anyway and he might know more about it." Having faced discrimination before, Anko could not bring herself to say no to Naruto's pleading suggestion.

After getting information about the person who turned out to be a girl named Isaribi, the team set off to find her home which is in the outskirts of the port settlement. When they got to her home, which is really just a wooden hut, they saw a girl with purple hair and black eyes whose face, arms and legs are partially wrapped in bandages while she wore a sleeveless tunic-blouse with brown shorts. Quickly recognizing her as the person they are looking for, Naruto shouted, "Hey, is your name Isaribi?"

Hearing Naruto's loud voice, the girl turned around sharply with a hurt and wary expression on her face. However, upon seeing Naruto and Midori, her expression changed into surprise as she asked, "W-who are you people?"

Grinning, Naruto introduced himself, "The name's Uzumaki Naruto and these two are Midori-chan and Anko-sensei. So, is your name Isaribi? We're Konohagakure ninjas by the way!"

Seeing the boy and girl in bandages and noting their strange skin tone as well as their clawed bony hands, the girl answered, "Yes, I am Isaribi. What brings you three to my home?" It was obvious even to Naruto that she was still distrustful despite being uncertain due to Naruto's and Midori's appearance.

Raising her hands to placate the suspicious girl, Anko said, "We're just here to investigate some rumours we've heard about the Kaima which have been attacking the people of this land lately." Contrary to popular belief, Anko can act professionally when the situation requires it.

Narrowing her eyes, Isaribi asked, "So why come to me for answers? I'm sure the people at the port could tell you all sorts of stories about the Kaima."

"True, but the real problem is finding out the truth from the baseless rumours or even lies," replied Anko. Being a member of Konohagakure's torture and interrogation division, the young woman knows the value of being able to tell apart actual information from fabricated or exaggerated "facts". "Sure they can tell us all sorts of stories but none of them means crap to us if none of them is true, you get what I mean?"

Hesitating for a moment, Isaribi then replied, "I suppose you have a point there. But what makes you think that I would know any more than the rest of them?"

Shrugging, Anko admitted, "It never hurts to check every opportunity for information. Besides, as you should have already noticed, my brats happen to have a similar fashion sense as yours and believe me, we know what it's like to get the shit-end of the stick from people that hate us, me included even though I don't look freaky like them."

While unable to deny that Naruto and Midori look similar to her, Isaribi nevertheless felt apprehensive due to her past trauma of being rejected by the people of the island that had been nothing but cruel to her as she asked, "So, what exactly did these people tell you?"

"Well, other than the fact that it's some sort of fish-man demon that attacks and kills people, that it can use water to attack like a ninja water-jutsu, and that they accuse you of being in cahoots with the Kaima, not much else." While Naruto glared angrily at Anko and Midori was obviously upset with Anko's choice of words, the young woman noted Isaribi's reaction and realized that she was holding her breath like she was discovered of committing a horrible crime.

"Anko-sensei, how can you say that? Just because people hate her doesn't mean that she's the Kaima!" yelled Naruto. Rather than reprimanding the boy for his outburst, Anko continued to study Isaribi's reactions and saw guilt in her eyes before she slumped slightly and looked away from Anko's eyes.

Like Naruto, Midori was upset that Anko would accuse of Isaribi of being the Kaima but realized that Isaribi was not denying Anko's accusation. While not experienced in interrogation like Anko, Midori knew that Isaribi's silence raised the possibility that the other bandaged girl might really be the Kaima or at least its ally. Gazing at the purple-haired girl, Midori saw that Isaribi was indeed not denying the accusation and was hiding something. Seeing the shame in Isaribi's body language, Midori wore a sympathetic expression as she spoke, "It's alright. I know what it's like to be treated like a monster just because I look like one."

Shocked, Naruto turned his attention to Midori and saw her sad remorseful expression as she glanced at him and shook her head. Turning his attention to Isaribi, Naruto finally realized that Anko did not accuse Isaribi of being the Kaima out of spite but to see her reaction from the accusation. Seeing Isaribi's slumped posture, Naruto asked, "Did you really attack those people?" Seeing her nod slightly, he felt slightly betrayed as he asked, "But why, why prove yourself to be the very monster everyone accuses you of?"

Unable to hide the truth from them, especially from Anko's keen observation, Isaribi bit back a sob as she spoke, "Because I have no other choice. If I don't attack these people, Professor Amachi will never cure me."

Narrowing her eyes, Anko mused, "Amachi… that name sounds familiar… wait a damned minute!" Suddenly seizing the Isaribi by her shoulders, Anko demanded, "Is Amachi trying to create ninjas that can breathe underwater?"

Surprised by Anko's reaction, Isaribi blinked away her unshed tears as she hesitantly replied, "Uh… yes."

Wearing an unmistakable scowl, Anko growled, "Damn, Jiraiya might be in trouble!"

Confused, Naruto asked, "Why? What's going on?"

"Amachi used to be one of Orochimaru's assistants to create the ultimate underwater ninja that can breathe underwater, Project Kaima. I know him because I've met that man before Orochimaru threw me away after branding me on this very island!"

Shocked, Naruto spoke out his thoughts "Wait, if that Amachi-teme is promising Isaribi a cure by having her attack the people of this island…"

"Then it can only mean that he is somewhere nearby, probably on this very island itself, and I won't be surprised if he has a nasty surprise or two for any intruders!" concluded Anko…

Scene Change

Meanwhile, in one of Orochimaru's hidden lairs, Jiraiya was in the middle of investigating the lair as he thought, "For a long-abandoned lair, this place seems to be recently used…"

"Well, well, if it isn't one of the legendary Sannin of Konohagakure."

Realizing that he has been discovered, Jiraiya turned around to face a man with grey hair dressed in an old white lab coat over a pale-purple undershirt. Recognizing him to be a medic-nin, Jiraiya asked, "You're the one in charge of this place?"

Smirking, the man with a prominent nose replied, "Indeed, I am. So tell me, what brings one of the legendary Sannin to my humble abode?"

Well aware that the man is anything but benevolent, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he asked, "That depends on what you're using this place for. From what I know, this place used to be a laboratory for conducting experiments."

"Indeed, it was, and still is."

Hearing the man's reply, Jiraiya took out a kunai and threatened, "Since you already know that I'm one of the Sannin, you of all people should know that I can easily kill you if I want to. The only reason why you're still alive is because I happen to need some answers from you." Tightening his grip on his kunai, Jiraiya asked, "So, are you going to spill for me or do I have to beat it out of your sorry ass?"

The man's smirk became a hideously vicious grin as he replied, "What makes you think that I will tell you anything?"

Scene Change

As Jiraiya confronted the unnamed medic-nin, Anko was quickly rushing towards the lair he went to investigate while Naruto and Midori stayed behind to watch over Isaribi. Although well aware that Isaribi is the Kaima and had been killing people, Naruto was convinced that Isaribi is not an evil person by choice. Nevertheless, he did not argue against Anko who told him to be ready to incapacitate Isaribi with poison should she dare to do anything to betray his trust in her.

Surprised that Naruto would still accept her despite her misdeeds and her revealed deformities which are fish-scales in place of random portions of normal human skin, Isaribi looked at the bandaged boy and asked, "Why, why are you still being so kind to me even after everything that I've done?"

"Well, it's not like we don't know what it's like to be hated by everyone else just because we bear one curse or another. I'm mostly upset because you let yourself become the very monster they expected you to be even though you did it hoping that Amachi-teme would cure you."

Nodding in agreement with Naruto, Midori said, "While I understand that you want to be cured, I don't think he would actually do it even if he knew how to." Before Isaribi could protest, Midori added, "Like you, I was a test subject." To prove her point, Midori took off her gloze and changed her hand into a bony claw with visible muscles beneath torn skin. Horrified, Isaribi gasped in shock as she stared at the hideous claw as Midori continued to explain, "Because of people like Amachi, I became a monster that could not even control her own powers. Had I simply listened to them when they told me that they would make me better I would not be alive speaking to you today."

"A-are you trying to tell me that Amachi might have never wanted to cure me from the very beginning?" asked Isaribi.

Wearing a sorrowfully sympathetic expression, Midori said, "More likely than not I'm afraid. Unless I'm wrong, he probably wanted to dissect you or something similar once he was done with you. The people who made me what I was before I met Naruto-kun would certainly do that to me."

Although well aware that Amachi was the one responsible for turning her into a fish-man monster, as well as become hated by the people of the islands who consider her as a freak, Isaribi was nevertheless too desperate in becoming a normal person again to even dare consider the possibility of Amachi not keeping to his word. However, after listening to Midori who also proved to her that she too is a mutated monster, the purple-haired girl could no longer deny the very real possibility. Feeling sick from both realizing that she may never return back to being normal and how her own misdeeds are all for naught, misdeeds which some would argue are inexcusable even if she only did them in the hopes of a cure, Isaribi was on the verge of retching and crying at the same time when all three children suddenly heard a loud explosion.

Turning their attention towards the source of the sound, they were shocked to see a massive body of seawater rising from the same direction Anko was rushing off towards to. Even more shocking however is that the body of water was assuming a roughly humanoid shape which proceeded to shoot powerful bullets of water at whatever had antagonized it. Staring at the massive living mass of water, Naruto swore, "Damn, that thing's huge!"

Recognizing the creature, Isaribi momentarily forgot her despair as she cried, "That's Professor Amachi's Umibouzu!"

Turning her attention to Isaribi, Midori asked, "What do you know about it?"

Shaking her head, Isaribi admitted, "Not much I'm afraid. I only know that it is a mass of water controlled by chakra and is practically indestructible as far as I know. Professor Amachi created it to work alongside with ninjas that can breathe underwater as they will not drown inside its body."

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto said, "And both Anko-sensei and Ero-sennin can't do that." Realizing the implications, Naruto turned his attention to Isaribi and asked, "Wait, what about Amachi-teme?"

"I'm… not really sure. The reason why he let me work for him is to study my body and prefect the Kaima form for his project. Knowing him, he would have turned himself into a perfected Kaima and showed it to me if he could," said Isaribi.

"So chances are, he probably did not perfect it yet but he might be using anyway to defeat Anko-sensei and Jiraiya-san," said Midori.

"Then let's go and help them now!" shouted Naruto who was about to charge head-on when Midori restrained him by extending her hand, grotesquely at that as her bones and muscles elongated while her skin tore at random places, to grip onto his shoulder.

As Naruto turned around to face her, Midori said, "We can't. Not without a plan."

Scene Change

Dodging another water-bullet from the giant humanoid mass of seawater, Jiraiya swore, "It's official, I'm most definitely not having a good day!"

A legendary ninja sage, Jiraiya could actually summon giant toads to fight alongside with him. However, he could not risk it as toads, even powerful summons, are freshwater creatures not to mention that only a boss-summon could possibly match the mass of seawater in terms of sheer size and power. Although perfectly capable of summoning the toad-boss, Jiraiya had no doubt that the summoned toad would be unhappy about being summoned to battle at the sea as it would give him a nasty rash and an unhappy toad-boss meant an uncooperative ally. Besides, he knows next to nothing about the monster that enemy medic-nin had "summoned" which for all he knows might have a technique which specifically kills toad summons. That man did know about the Sannin of Konohagakure and Jiraiya would not be surprised if he was one of Orochimaru's subordinates.

Thinking about the enemy medic-nin who revealed his name to be Amachi during his gloating as his Umibouzu continued to attack the toad-sage, Jiraiya amended his earlier statement, "No, that bastard is most definitely one of Orochimaru's lackeys, or at least a former one." Amachi, who had assumed a fish-man form which looks a lot like the Kaima everyone on the islands spoke about, is obviously a mad researcher much like Orochimaru. "And if there is one, there's bound to be more like him," thought Jiraiya. With Amachi safely inside the Umibouzu and able to breath "underwater", it is basically impossible for Jiraiya to harm him without first getting past the Umibouzu which proved to be impossible to significantly harm, at least not without a lot of firepower, due to its ability to reform itself instantaneously.

Meanwhile, as Jiraiya desperately avoided getting shot by the Umibouzu's water-projectiles while running further inland, Anko wondered what she could do to help him as she observed from a safe distance. While she would be among the first to rush in to help a fellow ninja of Konohagakure, even she knew better than to do so blindly as it might not do any good or even make the situation worse. Seeing that Jiraiya had yet to attack it, Anko surmised that the creature is either immune to his attacks or it is too dangerous to risk attacking. What she did not understand is why he would not summon his toad-boss summon although it might have to do with the fact that there is no such things such as a "sea-toad". Gritting her teeth in frustration, Anko thought, "Damn it, maybe I should have brought at least one of the brats with…" suddenly seeing a shadow looming over her, Anko looked up and practically gaped as she saw a sight that is outright nightmarish…

Scene Change

Amachi was gleefully chasing down Jiraiya while safely floating inside his Umibouzu when he saw something flying towards him. Looking at the flying creature, Amachi froze in horror at the outright macabre sight before him.

The flying fiend looked like it was once a green-skinned girl that had her body stretched, flayed, ripped and twisted to look more like a ghoulish bat. Her arms looked long, thin and "visibly bony" as they bore elongated fingers and appeared as though most of their flesh had been peeled or flayed off them to be rearranged into a pair of grotesque bat wings. Her chest cavity on the other hand looked like her ribcage had grown too large for her otherwise small chest to accommodate and thus caused the flesh and skin to tear and cling tightly onto the gaps between the ribs. Her vertebra was protruding out of her back while her stomach appeared emaciated and her feet elongated to form a vicious pair of digitigrade claws. Holding onto her legs was a boy with blue skin and pale-blond hair dressed in rags and bandages who was wearing a daring grin on his whiskered face.

Although shocked by the incoming sight, Amachi quickly recognized them as Konohagakure ninjas and barely had time to order his Umibouzu to attack them when the girl suddenly flew upwards and then dropped the boy right onto the mass of seawater. Caught off guard by a move which would normally be considered suicidal, Amachi noted the boy's increasingly manic grin as his arms appeared to twist and tear itself apart before his eyes. His forearms grew into a massive pair of grotesque bony claws with bloody bits of flesh and skin looking as though they were desperately holding the bony pieces together. What really got Amachi's attention however is the ominous purple veil of charka that surrounded the boy as he made his headlong dive onto the Umibouzu. Not daring to take any risks, Amachi immediately tried to order his Umibouzu to swat the boy aside when the girl suddenly dove downwards and hurled bone versions of kunai from the tips of her wings. Normally, such an attack would not even be felt by the Umibouzu but the girl's bone-kunai were obviously not normal when Amachi suddenly lost control of the water that came in contact with them.

Shocked by the loss of control for even a small portion of the seawater that made up the Umibouzu, Amachi's mind was desperately trying to come up with a reasonable hypothesis when Naruto lashed out with his chakra-coated claws. As the purple chakra tore its way through the moving body of water, the Umibouzu actually gurgled in agony as it started to "bleed" profusely. Now realizing what was happening, Amachi all but panicked as he desperately ordered his Umibouzu to retreat. The boy however would have none of it as he lashed out even more furiously in an attempt to kill the "wounded" mass of water. The girl on the other hand flew around the Umibouzu and continued to hurl her bone-kunai at it, including a few which practically radiated the same purple chakra. Before long, the Umibouzu was no longer able to maintain its form and fell apart.

Despite the demise of his Umibouzu, Amachi was able to dive into the water and was about to swim away when his body suddenly felt paralyzed and ended up floating upwards like a dead fish. Speaking of dead fishes, Naruto and Midori's combined attacks caused the local seawater to become poisonous thus resulting in many of the fishes to limply float at the surface. As for the boy, the girl was able to save him in time from crashing into the seawater which would have been fatal to almost anyone considering how far he had fallen from. Jiraiya and Anko on the other hand were both gaping as they shared the same thought, "I'm not sure if I should be impressed or F $%ing scared of their abilities…"

Scene Change

Despite their invaluable aid in destroying the Umibouzu and capturing Amachi, both Naruto and Midori got smacked on the head by both Anko and Jiraiya for disobeying a direct order from their superior. That said, the two adults did nothing worse as the two children not only helped but had enough sense to leave a few of Naruto's Plague-Clones to guard Isaribi after warning her that they explode in a cloud of poisonous miasma which might kill her if not treated quickly. Also, Naruto made it clear to them that only scum worse than trash would ever abandon their comrades just because helping them is against orders, a belief which he shared with Kakashi. And so, with Amachi captured and his Umibouzu destroyed thanks to the poisonous chakra Naruto and Midori both share, the four went back to Isaribi's hut with a poisoned Amachi in tow.

Staring at the sickly-looking man who was bound in tight ropes, Isaribi asked, "Professor Amachi…"

Due to his poisoned state, Amachi failed to notice Isaribi before he heard her voice and deliriously spoke, "Ah, my precious test subject! Please untie me and save me from those monsters!" Having seen Midori's horrific transformation, Isaribi knew who Amachi were referring to as the man continued to speak, "I'll even actually try to cure you and not dissect you!"

Although she had her suspicions after talking with Naruto and Midori, Isaribi nevertheless felt her heart break into a million fragments as it fell like a lead weight. Tears freely streamed down her eyes as she sobbed into her hands and thought, "I… will never be normal… ever…" Feeling a warm hand on her shoulder, she turned her head to gaze at Midori who wore a sad but comforting smile as if to say, "You're not alone." Unable to help herself, Isaribi clung onto the green-skinned girl and cried freely into her offered shoulder…

Scene Change

Having "resolved" the problem with the Kaima, the Konohagakure ninjas returned to their village with Isaribi in tow while an unconscious Amachi is locked inside a sealing scroll for further interrogation. While Anko is experienced in the art of interrogation, she is still not as skilled as Ibiki, the scarred head of the torture and interrogation division in Konohagakure nor did she have the Yamanaka clan's ability to literally read a person's mind.

Realizing that she would never be cured by Amachi, Isaribi decided to follow Naruto and Midori back to their village rather than stay in the Land of Sea. While resigned to her fate to live the rest of her life as a hated monster, Isaribi took comfort in knowing that Naruto and Midori accept her despite her appearance and, more importantly, her misguided misdeeds. It was therefore not surprising that she quickly became close with the two other children despite knowing their abilities which are even more horrific than her own during their journey. In fact, it can be said that she may have ended her own life to end her misery had Naruto and Midori not given her their moral support. As for Jiraiya and Anko, both adults had no trouble with Isaribi following them back to Konohagakure as they understood Isaribi's suffering as well. Although not as close to them as to Naruto and Midori, Isaribi nevertheless appreciated their understanding.

During their return travel, the Konohagakure ninjas learned of Isaribi's unique abilities including being able to breath underwater while in her fish-like Kaima form, being able to use water-based ninjutsu as well as enhanced swimming abilities. While they understood why Isaribi would desperately want to return back to being a normal person, both Jiraiya and Anko agreed that her abilities would have been an invaluable asset had it been perfected into a true bloodline ability rather than a mutation.

Before long, the group had returned back to Konohagakure and were soon reporting to Hiruzen about their mission at the Land of Sea…

Scene Change

Hiruzen frowned deeply as he listened to the mission report from Anko and Jiraiya. Although glad that the mission was successful, on both accounts, the elderly Hokage was disturbed by Orochimaru's experiments which, while undoubtedly cruel and unethical, yielded impressive results. Already he shared Anko's and Jiraiya's sentiment that Isaribi's abilities can actually become a powerful aquatic bloodline ability once perfected not to mention that Midori and Naruto possess a bloodline ability that can actually take down Amachi's Umibouzu with ease. Restraining his urge to sigh, Hiruzen thought, "If only Orochimaru hadn't forsaken his will of fire…"

After a moment of solemn silence, Hiruzen congratulated the team for their unexpectedly quick mission and dismissed the three bandaged children before he asked Anko and Jiraiya, "So, what exactly did you two manage to find out from Orochimaru's lair and his former subordinate?"

Shrugging, Anko admitted, "Not very much unfortunately. The bastard actually wanted to take on my asshole of a former sensei for terminating his Kaima project and so he hasn't been in contact with him for at least a few years. We managed to find out quite a bit about his research and Orochimaru's previous involvement in it but not much else. Inoichi is already digging into his head even as we speak so hopefully we can find out whatever we might have missed out."

Nodding in agreement, Jiraiya added his opinion, "As much as I hate to admit it, Amachi is actually pretty damn good for being able to almost complete his project even without Orochimaru-teme's continued support. Give him a couple more months and he probably would have perfected it."

Understanding Jiraiya's opinion about the cruel man, Hiruzen then asked, "And what of Isaribi? While I understand why she would not wish to remain at the Land of Sea, she must have surely gotten an idea of the difficulty she will face here in Konohagakure." As much as the elderly Hokage hated to admit it, even he cannot deny that Isaribi will face persecution just as bad or worse in Konohagakure if only because she is friends with Midori and Naruto.

"To put it simply, Isaribi would much rather take the risks and be together with people that actually care for her rather than just stay there and be alone all over again. Believe me, we would not have been able to stop her even if we wanted to, especially with Naruto and Midori giving their support for the idea," said Anko whose voice held an undeniable hint of pride for her two genin students.

Smiling, Hiruzen suddenly got an idea and asked, "Tell me, Anko. How do you rate Isaribi's skills?"

Raising an eyebrow, Anko quickly understood what Hiruzen was trying to do as she honestly spoke, "Can't say much since she never fought with any actual ninjas but she does have a number of skills which would make her very useful for missions like the one my team just took. Even if it is not a perfected Kaima form, she will not drown and can use water-jutsu with ease while in that form. Give her enough training and she may be able to summon her own Umibouzu as well as become an exceptionally dangerous aquatic assassin. The only real problems are that she may not be able to pass down her abilities to her children and, more importantly, she is desperate in becoming a normal person again which may effectively end her career as a ninja. Sure, my two brats are helping her cope with the fact that she may never be cured but are we honestly going to deny her any chance to becoming normal again?"

Listening to Anko's words, Hiruzen pondered for a moment and then said, "While I will admit that we should respect her desire to be cured of her current ailment, I do feel that her best chance of earning a living in this village before then would be to have her become one of our ninjas, especially after considering that she is unlikely to get normal employment due to her physical deformities as well as her friendly association with Naruto and Midori. However, as much as I loathe in admitting it, Amachi's research will be useful to us in both finding a way to cure Isaribi without necessarily requiring Tsunade's aid as well as ensuring that we can create our own aquatic assassins once it is perfected."

Hearing Hiruzen's response, Anko almost sighed in frustrated resignation as she did not like it despite understanding the practical uses of Amachi's despicable research for the good of Konohagakure which is ultimately a hidden ninja village despite being a peaceful one. Understanding her dislike, both Hiruzen and Jiraiya sympathized with the young woman who had suffered because of Orochimaru. Granted, it was later discovered during their mission at the Land of Sea that Anko actually chose to oppose Orochimaru rather than being abandoned by him but it still did not change the fact that she suffered for being his former student. Deciding to change the unpleasant subject, Hiruzen mentioned, "Putting that particular issue aside, we will need to ensure that Isaribi will not be forced to marry anyone. She has already suffered enough and it is only right that she is allowed to at least be able to choose her own husband. Considering that her ability is not a natural bloodline and that we already have Amachi's data, it should not be a difficult issue to deal with unlike what I hope to do."

"You're planning to make her a member of Anko's genin team and live with those two brats, aren't you," said Jiraiya whose tone of voice made it clear he was not asking a question.

Nodding, Hiruzen replied, "Indeed. Both Naruto and Midori understand her pain and will no doubt do everything within their power to help her. Moreover, those two children will need all the comrades they can get to somehow survive the persecution they are now enduring in here." The elderly Hokage could not restrain a sigh as he added, "It is almost tragic that Naruto seems to be getting along better with the Kyuubi no Youko that almost destroyed this village years ago than with almost every adult in this entire village at this point of time." Hiruzen then remembered something as he turned his attention to Jiraiya.

Well aware of what Hiruzen was going to ask, Jiraiya answered, "Yeah, I already checked the seal both during our trip to the Land of Sea as well as on the way back home and it seems to be doing fine at the moment. That fox won't be leaving his prison anytime soon although I'm still worried about its changes that Naruto mentioned about earlier."

Nodding in appreciation, Hiruzen then asked, "What of their weapons, taijutsu and chakra-control training? From what I've heard so far they seem to be doing rather well."

"You go that right. Naruto's chakra control is still not very good but he can now water-walk with little trouble and Midori's chakra control is already good enough to make her a possible candidate for medic-nin training. As for weapons and taijutsu, they have both improved but Naruto favours taijutsu while Midori favour throwing weapons. We still haven't taught them how to use melee weapons though," answered Jiraiya who then added, "In my honest opinion, those kids will become the most dangerous assassins that have ever served Konohagakure. Believe me than I say that their ability to change form is the stuff of nightmares even for most ninjas not to mention their poisonous chakra alone allowed them to take down that Umibouzu with such ease that they haven't even started using any actual plagues. Not only that, Midori is already capable of extracting Naruto's poisonous chakra from Amachi's body to some extent to keep him from dying although it would take a while before she can do anything for Gekkou Hayate."

Not surprised that Jiraiya knew about Midori's offer to help the sickly man, Hiruzen then asked Anko, "As a potential proctor the upcoming chuunin exams, do you believe that Naruto and Midori qualify to take part?"

"Other than the fact that they are one genin short of a full team, a problem which would be resolved if Isaribi agrees to be their teammate and gets strong enough to keep up with them, most definitely," replied Anko who did not bother to the hide the fact that she was boasting a bit.

Smiling, Hiruzen then asked, "Now, about their living arrangements…"

Scene Change

Isaribi, who already knew about Naruto's "fuzzy problem" during their journey back to Konohagakure, was well aware that Naruto was hated by almost everyone in the village even before his transformation and Midori was hated as well for being not only his friend but also for possessing at least three horrifically infamous bloodlines fused into one nightmarish package. However, that did not change the fact that she felt immensely uneasy from the hateful glares or whispers around the three bandaged children. Had it not been for her sincere friendship with Naruto and Midori, Isaribi would have no doubt decided to leave the village as soon as possible. Both Naruto and Midori noted her unease and so stood beside her protectively as she walked in between them.

Having successfully completed their second C-ranked mission, which turned out to be a B-ranked mission at least due to Amachi's involvement, Naruto decided to celebrate by eating some ramen from Ichiraku Ramen. While hardly a ramen addict like the former blond, Isaribi was nevertheless eager to eat something different from all the fish and seaweed she had been eating ever since Amachi made her into an experimental Kaima. As for Midori, she was honestly curious if Teuchi and Ayame could really make a delicious ramen dish with natto and cheese topping for her.

When the three children arrived at Naruto's favourite ramen stand, they noticed that there were already two people eating their respective bowls of ramen. Raising an eyebrow, as he knew that Ichiraku Ramen usually does not get many customers these days because he and Midori frequently visit there, Naruto wondered who they were when he suddenly recognized them. Sitting on the stools were some of his former classmates, a chubby boy with brown hair and a swirl on each cheek named Akamichi Chouji, and a lazy-looking boy with his hair tied into a spiky ponytail on top of his head named Nara Shikamaru. Unlike most of his classmates, Chouji and Shikamaru would often join Naruto in his misadventures during their early years at the ninja academy and are thus on friendly terms with him. There was another member in their gang of trouble-makers but he was more of a friendly rival, albeit one that can be quite an ass at times, than anything else.

Well aware of Chouji's love for ramen, and anything else tasty for that matter, Naruto grinned and yelled, "Hey Chouji, Shikamaru!"

In response to Naruto's loud yell, both boys turned their attention to Naruto and were quite surprised by Naruto's drastic change in both appearance and manner of dress. True, they both have already heard the rumours but seeing the real deal is another matter altogether. Shikamaru was the first to recover as he spoke, "So Ino was right, you really did become some kind of living zombie, or at least look like one. What a drag."

Not offended by Shikamaru's statement and well aware that Yamanaka Ino, a female former classmate from his graduating year with a pale-blond girl with light-blue eyes, is a hopeless "gossip princess", Naruto replied, "Well, you could say that I do have new abilities that make me kind of like one."

Noticing Midori and Isaribi, as well as their similar manner of dress, Chouji asked, "Are they your new teammates? We heard that you were removed from Team 7."

Shaking his head, Naruto explained, "No, just Midori-chan. Isaribi-chan was someone we helped out during our C-ranked mission that became a B-rank."

Frowning slightly, Shikamaru voiced his opinion, "That must have been troublesome."

Realizing that he had yet to introduce the two girls to his two friends, Naruto quickly made the introductions, "Guys, this is my teammate, Midori-chan, and this is Isaribi-chan. Midori-chan, Isaribi-chan, these two are my friends from my days back at the academy, Chouji and Shikamaru." He then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper as he added, "Just to let you know, Shikamaru's hopelessly lazy but he's actually real smart and Chouji's a nice guy but just don't say anything about his… girth."

"You do realize that we can still hear you, right?" asked Shikamaru.

Grinning, Naruto cheekily said, "I know!" Midori giggled at his response while Isaribi smiled in amusement.

Hearing Naruto's reply, Shikamaru sighed while hiding a smirk as he felt relieved that Naruto, while changed physically, was still the same trouble-maker he knew from back at the academy. Granted, Shikamaru made it no secret that he considers Naruto an idiot for most of the time but he would have to be blind for not noticing Naruto's brilliance when it comes to pranks or his iron-willed determination to succeed. While not particularly close to the whiskered former blond, Shikamaru decided it would be less troublesome to give him an indirect helping hand as he mused, "Now if only I can get Ino to spread rumours that Naruto is still that goofball we all know from the academy…"

Equally relieved, Chouji was eating his second bowl of ramen while asking, "So, who's your new jounin sensei?" It is common sense that genin can only take C-ranked missions while under the supervision of a jounin instructor.

"Our sensei is Mitarashi Anko," said Midori who answered for Naruto while the boy made his order.

"Wait, as in the most infamous sadist of a woman in the entire village?" asked Shikamaru. While he never knew the woman personally, Ino's parents happen to know about the infamously sadistic woman.

"Yup, and trust me, she's a complete sadist!" exclaimed Naruto as both he and Midori shivered in fear. They can still feel the pain of being turned into human pincushions and almost getting roasted by her fire-jutsus.

Deciding to change the subject before it gets too troublesome, Shikamaru asked, "Troublesomely scary teachers aside, mind telling us what has happened to you during and after your first C-ranked mission?"

Scene Change

After Naruto happily told them about what has happened to him starting from his first C-ranked mission, although it was obvious to anyone that Naruto was unhappy that he was removed from Team 7 on less than amicable terms with his teammates, Shikamaru and Chouji could not help but realize that Naruto is rather close to Midori. Granted, Midori likes him as well and Sakura was hardly what one would call a good friend, let alone a girlfriend, of Naruto for various reasons so it was not too surprising to them that Naruto would choose Midori over Sakura and even go so far as to defend Midori from his pink-haired former teammate and crush. Smirking, Shikamaru decided to tease the formerly blond boy for a bit, "So, did anything "troublesome yet interesting" happen between you two ever since she started living at your place?" Let it be said that being Naruto's friend, even if only a distant one, equals to appreciating a good laugh even if only occasionally.

Hearing Shikamaru's query, both Midori and Naruto blushed as they remembered a few embarrassing incidents such as Naruto accidentally seeing Midori naked while she was bathing in his bathroom, Midori discovering Naruto's "morning wood" for the first time, Midori's tendency to gently suckle or nibble while she sleeps and Midori cuddling Naruto intimately whenever they sleep together. Seeing their embarrassment, Shikamaru, Chouji, Teuchi and Ayame grinned as they knew that something interesting had happened and wanted details. However, unlike Ino, they are more willing to leave them alone if they really feel uncomfortable talking about it. Isaribi meanwhile was blushing as well as she wondered what sort of raunchy deeds Naruto and Midori had committed…

Scene Change

After Naruto, Midori and Isaribi ate their fill and left, with Isaribi promising to drop by Ichiraku Ramen again, Shikamaru and Chouji decided to leave the ramen stand as well. As they walked by, Shikamaru noticed something and sighed, "Ino, could you please stop being so troublesome and just come out?"

Stepping out of a random lamppost, a trouble-looking Ino asked, "Sorry, but you know what people had been saying about Naruto and his new girlfriend."

Resisting an urge to actually glare at Ino, Shikamaru asked, "And do you believe them?"

Apparently offended, Ino huffed, "Please, I may love to gossip but I'm also a ninja and only the truth is worth anything to gossip about!"

"And yet you still chose to stay away from Naruto and his two friends," said Chouji.

"Hey, it's not like I don't have a reason to be cautious! I'm sure even a lazy bum like Shikamaru knows a thing or two about Naruto's new abilities by now!" argued Ino.

Shikamaru sighed as he had to admit that Ino did have a good reason to be worried considering the sources of Naruto's new abilities but that did not mean he had to like it. Scratching the back of his head, Shikamaru said, "While I can't say I've seen his abilities, I can say that Naruto's troublesome personality is still intact despite everything that had happened to him. On the other hand, there's definitely more to his story than what he had told us."

"You mean how exactly he survived getting exposed to all of that poisonous chakra when he first met that girl, right?" asked Ino.

Nodding, Shikamaru said, "I'm quite certain he was lying when he said that he cannot remember what had happened to him during his change and claimed that he must have survived by, as he quoted, "sheer ninja-awesomeness", but forcing him to tell would have been too troublesome."

"Too troublesome for you maybe but there's no way I'm letting any of the details escape my grasp!" exclaimed a determined Ino.

"Even if it means having to talk to them directly or asking about an S-ranked secret?" asked Shikamaru.

Ino almost blanched at the thought of knowing an S-ranked secret as it would mean that she would not be able to talk about it at all with anyone who lacks authorization, something which would no doubt drive her crazy. As for speaking to Naruto and his new friends directly, Ino was less troubled by the notion as she was confident that Shikamaru would not make his claims about the formerly blond boy lightly unlike Sakura who had an obvious bias against him and Midori. While she may not care for Naruto very much as he was a loudmouth of a troublemaker that hardly anyone liked, she was at least willing to admit that Sakura was not exactly kind to the boy as she brutally rejected any of his attempts to befriend her. The again, considering how Sakura broke her once-close friendship with Ino simply because they happen to have a crush on the same boy, the blond girl couldn't bring herself to be too surprised by Sakura's selfishness. Although Ino would never consider herself dating with Shikamaru or Chouji, she at least accepted being their friend even if only a distant one. "No way, Naruto-baka knowing an S-ranked secret?" asked Ino incredulously.

Almost surprised that Ino did not object to asking Naruto and Midori directly, Shikamaru said, "I don't see why not. If it was something that Naruto can freely talk about or is not ashamed talking about then he would have told us already. The fact that he didn't could only mean that it is not something he wants us to know about for whatever reason it may be."

"I suppose you have a point there but I still find it hard to believe that he knows an S-ranked secret. I mean, it's Naruto we're talking about here and there's no way that loudmouth could keep it secret for long!" exclaimed Ino who seemed oblivious to her own gossiping nature at the moment.

"And him suddenly acquiring a deadly new bloodline ability from a sickly girl he was trying to help is more believable?" asked Shikamaru.

Seeing Shikamaru's point, Ino sheepishly admitted, "Okay, you got me there, but my point still stands."

Sighing, Shikamaru muttered, "What a drag, if you really want to know about it go and ask them yourself then. Just don't be surprised if they have an actually good reason not to let you know."

Frowning at the fact that she would not be getting any support from Shikamaru or Chouji in her endeavour for potentially juicy gossip, Ino said, "Fine, but I will find out somehow or I'm not the gossip princess of Konohagakure!"

Scene Change

Unknown to Shikamaru, Chouji or Ino, another girl had been watching Naruto and his new friends ever since they left the Hokage tower. Pale-lavender eyes and dark hair with a blue shine, the girl was known as Hyuuga Hinata and was one of the few people who truly cared for Naruto. A shy and gentle girl, Hinata had looked up to Naruto as a source of inspiration due to knowing his seemingly indomitable courage and optimism to help her cope with her own trouble which sadly mostly comes from her own clan including her immediate family. She also has a crush on the formerly-blond boy but was often too scared to admit her feelings to him due to the fear of being rejected which would have crushed what little self-confidence she had left. Granted, she knew that her strict father would never approve of her befriending Naruto let alone love him even if Naruto likes her as well but it still did not change the fact that's she ultimately allowed her fear and insecurities get the better of her, like always. With Naruto now apparently in love with a girl that loves him back, as well as gaining a terrible new ability which would make him dangerous even to his own allies, the chance that she once had to eventually earn his heart is basically zero as far as she knew. Needless to say, the revelation broke her heart and it would have done worse to her had she not been determined to find out the truth for herself.

Clenching her first tightly enough to make her knuckles white, Hinata was honestly tempted to hate Midori for taking away her "Naruto-kun" and turning him into a zombie-like monster like her. Her desire to hate Midori after laying her eyes upon her for the first time was so strong that it almost clouded her judgment and capacity to forgive. However, unlike most fangirls or stalkers, Hinata knew that she had no right to truly hate the girl, not after overhearing about her terrible past and how Naruto bravely chose to help her despite Midori's protests that he should save himself before her once-unstable powers overloaded. What right could she possibly have to hate Midori for being saved by Naruto who chose to save her by his own free will, when she herself had every chance to become Naruto's friend or more before that fateful mission and yet could not because of her own crippling fears and sense of insecurity? Besides, if she chooses to hate Midori just because she had the good fortune of finally obtaining Naruto's reciprocated affections, she would be no better than everyone that had hated Naruto or the members of her own clan that deem her as a worthless weakling, including her own father. To be no better than these people, and being hated by Naruto because she selfishly chose to hate his friend even for a different reason then most, is a shameful agony she would not allow herself to commit.

Despite her misgivings and sorrow, as well as a significant amount of self-loathing towards her own weaknesses, a part of her is honestly glad that Naruto was finally able to find friendship and love, even if that love is tragically not a love towards her. She can only hope to one day find the courage to admit to Naruto that she had always admired him and still be his friend despite whatever awkwardness she may cause to his new relationship with Midori. Finally relaxing her clenched fists, Hinata smiled sadly as tears freely flowed down her eyes and said, "I hope you find your happiness with her, Naruto-kun…" Left unsaid was a vicious oath that should Midori break Naruto's heart, she will make the girl suffer even if it kills her…

Scene Change

Unknown to Hinata, she was being observed by her own teammates led by her jounin instructor, Yuuhi Kurenai. One of her teammates is a wild-looking boy with untidy brown hair and a pair of red fang-like marking on his cheeks named Inuzuka Kiba. Riding on Kiba's head was small floppy-eared white puppy named Akamaru, his trusted nin-dog. Hinata's other teammate was a boy with curly brown hair, pale skin and wearing a pair of sunglasses as well as a high-collared coat named Aburame Shino. As they watched the girl leave from her "stalking post", Kurenai sighed in relief as she was glad that Hinata seemed to have recovered somewhat from her depression.

When the shy girl first heard about Naruto's change and his new friend, on the day Naruto left for his mission at the Land of Sea, Hinata took it so badly that Kurenai was worried that Hinata would do something foolish. For the people that cared for Hinata, the days that followed were fraught with worry as her growing depression was made worse by members of her own clan who were anything but kind to her. Realizing that Naruto had inherited a terrible bloodline ability which even Hinata's father, Hyuuga Hiashi, fears to the point that he specifically forbade her from ever touching the boy did nothing to improve the situation.

During that period of depression, even the strict and domineering Hyuuga Hiashi actually felt worried as his eldest daughter slowly lost her appetite and will to fight to the point that she was almost no different from a breathing corpse, disturbingly unresponsive to almost anything. Her unresponsiveness, combined with her increasingly pale and gaunt appearance as well as the almost tangible despair in her tear-streaked eyes was such that even the people that hate and disrespected her became deeply unnerved by her. Only her desire for the truth and a proper sense of closure kept her going during that terrible period and it seemed that the worst is now over as she somehow found some measure of peace to overcome her loss. Kurenai and the two boys could only hope that Hinata would find the strength to move on with her life without straying away from the right path.

Kiba, who was one of Naruto's friends and a self-proclaimed rival for the title of Hokage, was glad that Hinata had finally gotten over her depression. While he understood that Naruto was oblivious of her feelings towards him, not to mention that Hinata made it clear that only she herself can tell him how she feels, Kiba still felt a bit angry at the formerly blond boy for hurting her despite it being wholly unintentional. Although a "shameless dog" of a pervert, at least as shameless as he dares to be considering his fierce mother and kinder-but-still-fierce elder sister, he honestly cares for the shy girl and made a mental note to kick Naruto's ass for obliviously hurting her.

Shino, while not angry towards Naruto as it was illogical to hate him for something he was not even aware of committing, did nothing to stop Kiba's predictable line of thought as he too cared for Hinata and felt that Naruto needed to know what he had unintentionally done even if it requires a good kick in the rear. Considering that Hinata actually considers Shino as a dear friend despite his clan's "unique" bloodline ability, as well as her kind and understanding temperament despite her clan's damnable efforts to break it, Shino felt that he owed at least that much to his friend and teammate. Logically speaking, Shino knew that Hinata would not want anything bad to happen to Naruto or to her own two teammates for that matter now that Naruto had acquired such a deadly new ability, but Shino cannot bring himself to fully forgive Naruto for hurting her feelings so terribly without at least knocking some facts into his admittedly thick skull.

Seeing her two male students, Kurenai knew that they plan to do something but did nothing to stop their shared line of thought. Granted, she will stop them if it goes out of hand but she knew that they are angry mostly because they both care for Hinata and hated to see her hurt. Still, as a teacher, she would make sure that they pay more attention to helping her recover than antagonize the boy she apparently still cares for. Of course, given the fact that the chuunin exams are coming up soon, she can always tell all three of them to get ready to "kick some ass" during the exams, especially if Anko's genin somehow manage to join in. "If nothing else, it'll serve as excellent incentive for them to pass at least the first few stages…"

Scene Change

Meanwhile, as Naruto and Midori helped Isaribi settle down in their shared apartment, an apartment from which they would later shift into a larger home located near a training ground which is the "Dreaded Lair of the Green Beast", a certain silver-haired masked jounin stood before a memorial stone, a stone which bore the carved names of all of Konohagakure's slain heroes. Staring at the names of his lost loved ones, Kakashi sighed as he thought, "Naruto was the glue that held the team together. Without him, Team Seven is as good as broken." Ever since Naruto left the team, and on such unfriendly terms with Sasuke and even Sakura at that, Team Seven's ability to work together as a team deteriorated to the point that Kakashi was sure his silver-grey hair will turn completely white with the amount of stress he was currently getting.

The newcomer, Sai, whom Kakashi and Hiruzen both suspect is an agent from one of Konohagakure's supposedly disbanded ROOT division due to his lack of real emotional responses, was pretty much alienated by Sakura and even Sasuke despite having impressive ink-based abilities. The fact that his smiles are creepily false only isolated him even further from the rest of his team. As for Sakura, without Naruto to bug her she had free reign to woo Sasuke and yet lost any outlet for her frustrations whenever Sasuke rejected her, which is always, as well as Naruto's boisterous support. This led to a "surprising" turn of events as Sakura became increasingly dejected and unsure if she could actually make it as a ninja of Konohagakure rather than become happier from not having Naruto in the team as she once believed. Of course, she could always attack Sai but the pale boy which black hair made it clear that he would not simply let her hurt him when he created ink-lions to restrain her the last time she tried to punch him for nicknaming her "Forehead". As for Sasuke, he was pretty much the same which meant an antisocial person with very real mental issues stemming from having both a superiority complex and an inferiority complex. Somehow the Uchiha boy recently discovered that Naruto had successfully completed yet another B-ranked mission and that fact had made him even bitterer as he obsessed over Naruto's recent achievements. They Uchiha boy never once considered the importance of teamwork as he paid no attention to the fact that Naruto and Midori worked together to defeat the Umibouzu. Needless to say, the situation is dire for Team Seven.

As for his former student, Kakashi honestly felt glad that Naruto was doing well despite the current circumstances and is getting along fine with Anko. He was also impressed when he heard from Anko how they were able to defeat the Umibouzu which even Jiraiya had trouble thinking of a way to defeat. When he heard that Naruto's team might finally become a three-man genin team, Kakashi wondered if they would attend the upcoming chuunin exams and have what it takes to be promoted. Granted, a lot of people in the village will likely try to refuse his participation let alone his promotion but that would not change the fact that Naruto may have what it takes to be a chuunin if not more. Thinking about the upcoming exams, Kakashi knew that Sasuke will immediately take the opportunity while both Sakura and Sai may simply follow his lead but the silver-haired jounin honestly felt that they are far from ready to take it. However, Kakashi knew that the council will demand that Sasuke's team be offered the choice to join the exams at the very least especially if Naruto's team joins as well. Sighing, Kakashi could only hope that his team of three genin stop trying to push each other apart or else they may not even survive to take another exam let alone be promoted into chuunin. "Well, I still got a few months so hopefully I can get them to actually start working as a team before then."

-Chapter Fin-

Note: Yes, Isaribi did reveal herself to be the Kaima awfully quick but do understand that Anko is experienced in interrogation (at least as far as fanfictions generally go) and that she would not be able to hide that fact from her for long. Also, she trusts Naruto and Midori more easily than in cannon because she knows that they are "deformed freaks" just like her and thus understand her pain even if to a lesser extent. As for Amachi's lack of minions, the two otogakure-nin under his employ were formerly members of Kabuto's squad and are likely still loyal to Orochimaru (at least before the chuunin exam arc concluded). As for how easily Naruto and Midori defeated the Umibouzu, I hope it's not too easy. I also hope that Jiraiya and Anko's caution towards the Umibouzu, thereby preventing their brand of awesome, is properly justified.


End file.
